A Diary's Secret
by got2luvanime9974
Summary: In an effort to get back at Mira, Natsu manages to get his hands on her diary. However, what he reads both confuses and surprises him. How will their relationship change? Will reading what's in Mira's diary bring them closer together? Or will it drive them further apart? ADOPTED FROM VISCERNAL!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail.

**This story was originally created by Viscernal. This chapter was their work, not my own. From here on, it will be my words. I hope to do this story proud.**

**Check out Viscernal for some great stories!**

_**Fairy Tail—A Diary's Secret**_

**Chapter 1**

"Alright guys, funny joke…ahaha." Elfman laughed nervously as he sat in the wooden chair, physically tied to it with thick ropes, a black bag over his head. "The humor is starting to wear off now..." He trailed off still in a nervous tone as he tried to look around but there wasn't anything he was able to see with the bag that was currently over his head.

"You sure about this?" Natsu questioned, the voice instantly recognizable to Elfman. "I mean sure, it's worth it but still...if she finds out...we're dead," he said in a panicked tone.

"Well it was either Elfman or Lisanna," Gray said, folding his arms behind his head. "You didn't want to drag Lisanna into it so here we are." Gray huffed at the other ten year old as he walked up to the bound Elfman, Natsu sighing but following along. The two children had indeed abducted Elfman Strauss, older brother to Lisanna Strauss and younger brother to the Demon of Fairy Tail, Mirajane Strauss. Elfman, being the nice child that he was, thought that Natsu's innocent suggestion of putting a bag over his head in a game of hide and seek would be fine and that nothing would happen…until something hard and cold hit him in the back of the head. Now here he was, bound to a chair.

"Elfman," Gray said, pulling the black bag off of Elfman's head. "This is going to be easy," he stated.

"Come on guys, I don't like this game," Elfman told them, struggling against his ropes.

"It's not a game you dummy!" Natsu shouted. "Let me at 'em!" Natsu roared going for the attack. However, Gray just kicked him away, sighing at the young Dragon Slayers impatience.

"Look, we're tired of Mira and Erza pushing us around all the time," Gray told him, making the larger boy turn to the young ice wizard. "So we need something from you," he told the large take over wizard.

"I... I don't have anything," Elfman told him nervously.

"That's where you're wrong," Gray grinned. "You have unlimited access to your house. Which means you can find Mirajane's diary for us."

Elfman's eyes widened in fear. He'd seen Mira writing in a diary once and the glare she gave him after she threatened if he even dared to touch it would scar him for the rest of his life. "No! I won't! It's too scary!" Elfman cried. "Let me go! I won't tell Mira you kidnapped me!" he cried.

"Be a man!" Natsu shouted at him. "Do this and we'll do anything you want!" he grinned.

"Come on Elfman, think about it. If we got Mira's diary, then she couldn't pick on us any more unless she wants us to spill her secrets to the entire guild or even sorcerer weekly!" Gray grinned.

"That's blackmail...," Elfman stated softly.

"She does it all the time!" both Gray and Natsu shouted at him.

"And worse!" Natsu added.

"Sure she's done some mean things...," Elfman stated, trailing off lightly.

"Mean! What she does is downright evil! Just yesterday I swear she gave an old man a wedgie because he greeted her too friendly!" Gray shouted at him. "She's a devil! She needs to be put into her place and you're going to help us!" Gray continued to shout.

"Now! Where does Mirajane keep her diary?" Natsu shouted.

"I don't know!" Elfman cried. "She's always locked her room so I don't know!"

"Hmm…seems we've come to a bump in the road," Gray mused as he rubbed his chin in thought, Natsu huffing in annoyance. The plan was to get Elfman to spill on Mira's diary location. They couldn't prod him for information if he didn't have any! This was meant to be simple! "We need a new plan," he announced.

"Mira, Lisanna and I were going off on a job later on today…maybe you could search the house for it then?" Elfman offered making Gray and Natsu grin. "Just, don't touch anything else of Mira's..."

"Right!" both Natsu and Gray grinned. Their first step to putting their plan of operation into motion. It was the first time they were working together on something. So far it hadn't blown up in their faces, as long as they kept out of one another's way while coming to the same conclusion they seemed to work well together until the inevitable would soon come to pass and they would fight for a while before getting back to the task at hand.

"Let's go find a way to get ahead of Erza!" Natsu cheered heading for the exit of the anonymous dark room.

"I wonder who we can manage to get to help us in that," Gray thought as he followed Natsu to the exit, they had yet to find anything on Erza or think of anything that would make the older girl submit to them like they had with Mira. Truth be told, they still didn't know if finding Mira's diary would hold any power over the sadistic white haired teen, but they had no other choice but to try it.

"Uh... guys...," Elfman called out, still tied to the chair. "Guys! Let me go! I've got to get to the guild so I can meet Big Sis Mira and Lisanna for the job!" Elfman cried, making Natsu and Gray stop and turn back.

"We're coming big guy," Gray chuckled as Natsu grinned sheepishly at forgetting Elfman. Both boys went and untied Elfman.

"Those kids have to be up to something," Macao said sitting next to Wakaba as he watched Natsu and Gray enter the guild before heading over to a table. It was unheard of for the two to ever get along for any longer than a minute. Yet here was the impossible, right before their very own eyes; Natsu and Gray were talking as if they were actually having a civil conversation with one another. Everyone in the entire guild was shocked, however said nothing to the two in case they might ruin the truce that they currently had.

It was so peaceful.

"I don't doubt it, but as long as they're not causing problems it's fine," Wakaba told him, squishing his cigarette onto the table he was sitting at before lifting his mug up and downing its contents. "Because quite frankly, them getting along scares me just as much as them fighting. Why not let us enjoy the peace until it crumbles around us?" he questioned.

"Hear hear," Makarov nodded, sitting on the table between the two men. "As long as they're not causing any harm I don't see why we don't simply let them scheme away," he explained.

"What if it turns really bad?" Macao questioned.

"Well, we had a day of peace. That's more then I could ever hope for," Makarov told them making both men nod at the old man's wise words. "Now! Let's drink to this time of peace!"

'_It's like he thinks we've just come out of a war and will have to go back,'_ both men thought before looking over at the two ten year olds grinning at one another. "To temporary peace!" they cheered. They knew Natsu and Gray too well to think that they would get along forever.

"Ok, what does Erza like?" Gray questioned pulling a scrap of paper out and a pen as Natsu sat across from him.

"Eh... being mean?" the pink haired boy suggested.

"I don't think she actually enjoys that. I think it's just a habit," Gray explained making Natsu simply shrug.

"Maybe we can do something to her strawberry cake?" Natsu asked.

"Those are some dangerous words Natsu," Gray paled. "Remember what happened last time somebody messed with her cake?" Both boys swallowed nervously and looked around to see if Erza was anywhere in sight before letting out a sigh of relief as she was nowhere to be seen. "But I like the way you're thinking," he grinned, making Natsu grin back at him as Gray started to write down some ideas as the two only got more devious into their plan.

"Natsu!" Lisanna called over, making Natsu turn to find the youngest Strauss with Happy as she walked over to him. "Me, Mira and Big Brother Elf are going on a mission. So you have to look after Happy."

"I know that," Natsu told her pouting, a look of embarrassment coming over his face as Happy flew over and sat in his hair before curling up in his pink locks and falling asleep with a tired 'aye'.

"That's right. You're such a good Dad," Lisanna smiled.

"Knock it off Lisanna!" Natsu shouted, making Gray smirk slightly knowing how Elfman was going to leave some way to their house open so that they could enter the Strauss residence. Mira and Elfman began to walk over to the three as Lisanna giggled at Natsu's cute embarrassment he showed whenever she teased him about their time of playing house a few months earlier when Happy was still just a simple egg.

"What's up with you two? You've been acting strange all day," Mira said, narrowing her eyes at the two. "What are you guys up to?" she questioned, glaring at them and making the two shrink underneath her gaze slightly. Elfman was nervously sweating off to the side, trying to become as little as possible. Even at a young age Elfman was quite a large boy.

"Nothing," both fire and ice wizards mumbled.

"Come on Mira, let's go," Elfman said, almost in a little too nervous of a tone for his elder sibling, who rose a questioning eyebrow at him. "We've got to catch the train. Otherwise it'll leave before long."

Mira looked to Elfman then back at Natsu and Gray, who started to sweat like Elfman was. "I'm watching you two, so whatever it is you're doing…stop," she told them both.

"Come on Mira, they're finally getting along," Lisanna smiled happily.

"That's what's bugging me, Lisanna," Mira huffed.

"Maybe you should try getting along with them, too," the youngest sibling told her as the three began to turn and walk away. Elfman glanced back at them and nodded to them, making both the ice wizard and Dragon Slayer grin. The two looked around quickly as Mira and her siblings left the guild.

"Operation snatch Mira's diary has commenced!" Natsu cheered making everyone in the guild turn to them causing Gray to punch Natsu in the side of the face, sending him tumbling across the floor from where he had been seated at the table. "Ow," Natsu mumbled from the heap he was now in on the floor.

"Don't mind him, we're...uh...not doing anything like that. You know Natsu. Always making names up for things that don't have anything to do with the actually thing that we're not actually going to be not doing..." Everyone sweat dropped at the ice Wizard's explanation of what they had just heard.

"Like Mira would keep a diary anyway!" someone laughed, causing others to laugh and making Gray chuckle lightly. However, he caught the gaze of Makarov, making him look away.

"Come on, Natsu," Gray hissed, picking Natsu up. "Let's go before someone tries to stop us."

"Gray," Makarov called out to him, making Gray turn back to see Makarov still staring at him.

'_Not good!'_

"A word," Makarov told him, making Gray sigh before Natsu grinned at him and bolted from the guild.

'_I bet he planned this! That no good fire breathing punk! Next time I see him, I'll get him back!'_ Gray shouted in his mind as he began to walk over to the Makarov, trying to express an innocent look. Wakaba and Macao who were sitting with Makarov got the signal to leave the table making Gray even more worried.

"Take a seat, Gray. I want to talk to you about something," Makarov said making Gray nod as he sat at the table and began to listen to what Makarov had to say. No matter what, he would never have expected to hear what was told to him that day.

"Hmm…," Natsu hummed aloud to himself, Happy still sleeping in his hair as he walked down a familiar street. He had been to the Strauss family home a handful of times at the request of Lisanna to either spend the night or have dinner, even if Mira tried to cook him. Once Mira offered him a bath and he ran away screaming thinking she was trying to cook him. Mira had laughed for weeks at his expense. Coming to a stop in front of the familiar two story house, he cocked an eyebrow at it, wondering what Elfman had done to let them in.

Walking up to the front door, he looked at it before reaching out and grabbing the handle only to grin as it opened. Elfman had literally left the front door wide open for them. Checking to make sure the coast was clear, Natsu opened the door and quickly entered before closing it behind him. The familiar smell of Mira, Lisanna and Elfman all registered within his mind as his nose adapted to the continuous smells in the house.

"Where to start?" Natsu questioned aloud as he walked into the house. Mira had chased him many a time around the lounge room as he annoyed her while she had been cooking dinner. Lisanna would always sit in the same spot on the couch until they were ready for dinner, either reading a book or Natsu would be sitting on the ground in front of her and she'd play with his pink hair. Elfman was always welcoming to the Dragon Slayer, never making him feel left out and it made Natsu grin just how much the Strauss Family had accepted him into their home.

'_One day, I'll bring them all over for dinner at my place... once I clean it up a bit.'_ Natsu grinned widely as he continued to walk around the house.

First he went to the kitchen. This was where Mira spent most of her time whenever he was over, either cooking or reading a book at the table. She never did join in on the conversations that he had with Elfman and Lisanna after their meals, but every time he looked over to her she'd always be watching the three of them from over the top of her book. Searching through cupboards high and low, he only found cutlery, plates, pots and pans among other things you'd find in a kitchen.

Heading from the kitchen to the lounge, he searched through a book case but couldn't find anything that would resemble a diary or the like. He headed for the stairs, figuring it wouldn't be in Elfman or Lisanna's room. He headed up the stairs to where he was told to never venture from Lisanna and Elfman themselves.

The black door at the end of the hall.

Mirajane's room.

Natsu stood before the ever so prominent black door, so out of place in the white halls of the house. Mira had once smacked him upside the head for staring at it too long before teasing him about wanting to steal her underwear before calling him a pervert, making Lisanna kick him out for some reason that was unknown to the young boy. Why would he want Mirajane's underwear? Natsu looked over his shoulder, a cold sweat running down his neck as if someone was watching him before he steeled himself as the son of Igneel and reached for the door handle. He gripped the handle and quickly opened it.

This was not what he had been expecting to see within the room of Mirajane the Demon.

White. Everything was white. Almost blindingly so—the walls, the soft carpet under his feet. To the left, pushed up against the window, was a bed with pink—PINK—blankets dotted with little red love heart. Sitting between the two pink pillows was a plush stuffed rabbit holding a carrot between its paws. To the right was a dresser with a chair that sat in front of a large mirror, an assortment of make-up sitting upon the dresser.

Straight ahead was a desk. One side held a picture of Elfman and Lisanna with Mirajane after they had just joined Fairy Tail, when Mira had been happy to have a home where people would no longer call her a monster, after Lisanna and Elfman had showed that they had Take-Over magic just like she did. The three had the largest smiles on their faces, Mira having the biggest.

On the left of the desk was a picture of the entire younger generation of Fairy Tail just after Happy was born, although the picture that was drawn wasn't the same picture Natsu knew and loved where it showed him riding the dragon Happy, but showing him with Happy on his head as the others gathered around them. With a smile Natsu raised a hand up and scratched just above Happy's ear, making him purr lightly in his sleep. He'd have to ask Mira where she got that picture from.

Behind that photograph was another photo, Natsu walked towards the desk and picked it up, tilting his head slightly before paling at the sight. He remembered that day well. Mira had been acting like she did whenever she teased him. That weird creepy adoration she found whenever he was crying or something of the like. She had practically dragged him all over Magnolia and forced him to spend the day with her.

That was probably the only memorable part of the day. Mira had seen a couple getting photos on one of the many bridges that crossed the river of Magnolia and had...'persuaded' the photographer to take one of them. Natsu was in the front, a big grin on his face. Right now, Natsu couldn't even remember what he had been happy about. Mira was standing behind him with a small smile on her face, both of her arms draped over the Dragon Slayer's shoulders and her chin resting atop his head.

"I didn't know she got the actual photo," Natsu said aloud as he sat down in the chair that was at the desk before placing the photograph back down where it had been before looking over the desk and stopped at a black book that sat neatly in the centre of the desk, a pen at its side. "Her diary?" he questioned as he reached out for the book, his small hand tracing the dark leather of it. It didn't have a title like most books had. There wasn't even evidence to show that it was a diary. Flicking the book open to a random page, Natsu leaned over and began to read.

_ 'Friday 17th, Erza's being a two-faced bitch again. She just needs to shut up and leave me alone. Sure I may have replaced all the cake mix in Fairy Tail with chilli powder, but I didn't do it because of her. I wanted to play a prank on the rest of the guild. She needs to know that everything I do doesn't revolve around her. It's like she's got some girl-girl love thing going on for me. Gross!'_

Natsu rose an eyebrow at that. "What's girl-girl love?" he questioned aloud before shrugging and flipping a few more pages before reading again.

_ 'Wednesday 3rd, he's over again. Lisanna asked him to come and have dinner with us and Elfman invited him to stay the night. It's the stupidest thing. He's ten, I'm thirteen and he's a bigger idiot than anyone else I know...but that's a part of his charm, I guess. I'm even jealous of Lisanna, being the same age as him. She'll get to grow up with him, probably be his first girlfriend, have his first kiss. It makes me mad, but whenever I look up and see his grinning face, I can't help but smile. Maybe one day, when we're both older and the gap between our ages doesn't mean anything anymore...maybe then I'll talk to him properly and not have to simply watch from a distance anymore.'_

"Who's she talking about?" Natsu questioned as he re-read the passage, still not finding any clues as to who Mira was writing about. He flipped over the next few entries before coming to a page that didn't have any entries written on it; just simple drawings that Mira had done. To be perfectly honest, the page was a mess. First there was a badly drawn bird before another animal that she had gotten wrong and scratched pen all over it.

He looked through the other drawings, but stopped at one and tilted his head, not knowing what to think of it. It was a love heart with both Mira's name and his own in it. "What's that all about?" he questioned. Shrugging at not getting an answer, he closed the diary, picked it up and headed for the door only to stop as Mirajane stood there with wide eyes in the doorway. Natsu went completely white at the sight of her. She was supposed to be at the train station, not here.

"Natsu...," Mira started, making Natsu take a step back. "What are you doing?" she questioned, walking forward before stopping as she saw what he was holding and her eyes went wide before she shot her eyes to look into Natsu's own. "Why are you here Natsu!? Why do you have my diary!? What are you doing!?" she shouted at him, causing Happy to stir atop Natsu's head.

"Nothing!" Natsu shouted, dropping the diary and going to rush past her. However, Mira was faster than he was. The sudden commotion surprised the small blue cat atop his head and he rose up with his wings as Mira caught Natsu effortlessly by the back of his shirt. "Let me go!" he shouted before Mirajane swung him and let go, sending Natsu crashing into the side of her bed. Natsu let out a cry as he fell to the floor only to watch from where he lay to see Mirajane picking up her diary. He paled as she sent him one of her most furious glares.

"How much did you see!?" she yelled at him.

"Not much! Something about Erza and girl-girl love and someone that's over here with Lisanna and Elfman a lot," Natsu told her as he sat up, rubbing his head.

"What the hell were you thinking, Natsu!?" Mirajane shouted at him. "You can't do things like this! This is my room! My diary! My private thoughts! You had no right to look through any of them!" Natsu frowned at that. Mira had been angry at him before, but he could see tears begin to well up in her eyes. Never had he seen her like this before. He opened his mouth to speak but Mira cut him off. "Just get out," she told him harshly, making Natsu's eyes widen. "Now, Natsu! Get out!" she screamed at him, making him run for the door, missing the part where she fell to her knees and cried.

Happy simply floated to the ground and walked up to her, placing a paw on her knee as he sat with her as her body was wracked with sobs, hugging the diary close to her chest. Lisanna always told him to try and comfort a crying girl.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail.

**Alright people. I know it's been almost two weeks, but I finally got this chapter put together. This chapter took a while for three reasons: 1) I've been studying for certification exams that are coming up, 2) I have another fanfic that I am working on (feel free to check it out!) and, the largest one of all, 3) ideas for this chapter took a while to flow. I do apologize for the wait since I see a lot of people are already following this story (I mean_ wow_!). Sorry to let you guys down, but here it is!**

**Now that I got the first totally-me chapter out there, I'm hoping that ideas will start coming to me. I have the big ideas, but the finer details are harder. I'm working as best as I can, so I only ask for patience as I do whatever I can to give you the best I can give.  
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**Okay, end rant. You want to read the next chapter, after all. On to Chapter 2 of Viscernal's _A Diary's Secret_!**

_**Fairy Tail—A Diary's Secret**_

**Chapter 2**

Natsu walked down the streets of Magnolia with his arms behind his head. His face was twisted in a pout as he made his way home. "Stupid Mira. What the heck is her problem? Why was she getting all upset about me reading her diary? It's not like I even understood anything in it." He scratched his head with both hands. "And the worst part is I couldn't even find any secrets worth using! This whole thing is Elfman's fault! If only he kept Mira out of the house like he was supposed to, I could have kept reading! I'll kick his butt tomorrow, that's for sure!"

He walked out of town where his small house sat nestled among the trees of the neighboring forest. It was a quiet location; not much happened there since it was far away from the ever-bustling Fairy Tail guild hall. He rarely ever had visitors. Actually, he never had visitors. It was always just him and Happy in the little place. After all, who would visit? Gray? Yeah right. He'd never let that stripper into his home. Erza? No way. He was way too scared. Lisanna? Well, maybe. He was always over her house, though, and it was much nicer there. Still, he would like to have her and Elfman and Mira over someday…well, maybe not Mira. She would probably torture him.

Natsu walked through the trees where his house quietly awaited him, marked simply by a sign that read "Natsu & Happy". The house was simple; a creamy white with supports and a base made of stones. The roof was made up of poorly constructed wood and red tiles. A chimney of stone rose up into the sky, awkwardly narrowing as it reached its peak. Thick tree branches jutted out of the walls from the inside and into the outside world. There was even a small wooden fence that lined one side.

Natsu climbed up the narrow dirt path that led to the small wooden door, stepping carefully up the stairs that were made of thin logs. Above the door, a skull of some wild animal was displayed proudly on a plaque. Natsu had no idea what the skull once belonged to, but he still thought it was cool and tough-looking. He reached for the plain dark gray doorknob, swung the door open, and stepped inside.

The inside of Natsu and Happy's humble abode made the outside look like a mansion. Objects and belongings were strewn about haphazardly, almost nothing finding its way onto a shelf or into a drawer. In fact, even the dressers and other pieces of furniture had yet to find a home as most of them rested on the floor or were perched precariously against a wall. Old food sat in a pot and on a pair of plates a top the small and short wooden dinner table. There was, of course, the full grown tree off to the side near the large red couch. On the other side of the room was a quickly constructed hammock that was tied to the ceiling. At the far end of the room was a stove that was untidy and covered in crusty old food. Most people would be disgusted at the sight of such a place and run away. Natsu barely even noticed. To him, there was nothing wrong with the way he and Happy lived.

He jumped up onto the red couch, letting his feet swing off of the side as he thought. "Man, today was a total bust. I thought for sure that I could find something in Mira's diary." He thought back to the things he read and saw; Erza's weird girl-girl love (whatever that meant), someone who's over her house all of the time (which is odd, since he's always there and never saw anyone else over), and he and Mira's names in a heart. This last piece that he had seen threw him the most. What did that mean? Why was his name in Mira's diary? He thought and thought until he felt confident he had his answer. His eyes widened. "She must have decided to only target me! Oh man, what am I gonna do?"

Happy flew in through the open door and rested on Natsu's head. "You left, Natsu," the small blue cat said to his father.

"And a good thing to," Natsu said. "Mira's gonna kill me! I'm her target! She said so in her diary."

Happy patted Natsu's head. "Natsu, Lisanna always said that you should try and comfort a crying girl."

"So?"

"Mira was crying and you didn't try and comfort her."

Natsu's eyes widened before falling to the floor. He had seen what looked like tears in her eyes right before he left, but he didn't know that she actually cried. After all, Mira never cried. Ever. Natsu didn't think she could. "She did?"

"Mhm."

"Aw man, now I feel kinda bad."

"You should. You made her cry."

"Shut up! You don't know that!" Natsu exclaimed while trying to look at the Exceed sitting on his head.

"But you did! She kept saying 'Natsu, how could you' over and over again."

Natsu's gaze fell to the floor again. "Aw man, now I feel even worse."

"What are you gonna do, Natsu?"

Natsu took a deep breath. It was going to be scary and he was probably going to die before he said what he needed to, but he had to apologize to Mira. Igneel always told him that apologizing to someone you've wronged was the right thing to do. It made them feel better. "Guess I have no choice," he mumbled. "Tomorrow at the guild I'll tell Mira that I'm sorry."

* * *

><p>"There you are, ash face!" Gray shouted as Natsu walked through the door to the guild. He leapt at the small Dragon Slayer, landing a kick to his face that sent Natsu tumbling back outside. Happy had managed to escape from Natsu's head before the kick landed and floated safely to the ground.<p>

Natsu sat up and rubbed his face. "What the heck was that for?" he shouted at Gray.

"Whaddya think that was for?" Gray shot back. "You set me up to get yelled at yesterday so that you could escape!"

"I did not!" Natsu yelled as he leapt to his feet.

"You so did!" Gray threw back. The boy then crossed his arms over his chest. "Whatever. Anyway, I don't think we should read Mira's diary anymore."

"What? Why?" Natsu asked.

Gray looked away. "I have my reasons. Look, just give the diary back to Mira, okay?"

"But I don't have the diary."

"You mean you couldn't get her diary? Did you even find it?" Gray asked. Even though he had a change of heart, he still found it hard to believe that Natsu could actually fail to find a book in an abandoned house.

"Yeah, I found it."

"You didn't read it, did you?"

"Yeah, I read a bit of it."

Gray slapped his forehead. "Well, what did it say then?"

"Not too sure."

Gray almost face planted onto the guild floor. "How the heck are you not sure?"

Natsu crossed his arms. "I didn't understand what was written there. I don't even think I could explain it. It was weird." He then tilted his head at Gray. "I wanna know why you changed your mind, though. Stealing her diary was your idea, remember?"

Gray huffed. He then turned his back on the pink haired Dragon Slayer and walked off. "You wouldn't get it."

"Hey! Don't walk away from me!" Natsu shouted after him.

"Natsu!"

Natsu turned around to see Lisanna, Elfman, and Mira walking towards the guild. Lisanna had a big smile on her face as she waved and skipped, Elfman looked like he was caught between pain and fear based on the fake smile that he had on, and Mira just glared at him. It wasn't as bad as the one he saw yesterday, but it still made his spine crawl. He waved back at Lisanna. "Hey Lisanna. How was your mission yesterday?"

Lisanna stopped in front of Natsu. "Actually, we never ended up going."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Lisanna put a small finger to her chin. "I'm not really sure. Elfman and I were at the station when Mira just kind of disappeared. I didn't notice her leave, so we waited at the station, but Mira never came back."

"Lisanna," Mira called out coldly as she continued to walk over with Elfman. "You shouldn't talk to him."

"What? Why not?" Lisanna asked.

Mira walked over to Natsu, lifted her leg and dug her heel into Natsu's head. "His ears aren't worth your words."

Natsu tried to escape the pain, but Mira's leg was far too strong. He felt like his head was about to split open.

"Mira, that's mean! And stop that! You're hurting him!" Lisanna wailed.

Mira kept digging her booted heel into Natsu's scalp, a wicked grin on her face. "Don't be silly, Lisanna. Natsu loves it. Besides," she kicked him backwards and stomped off, "he doesn't have much in there anyway."

Lisanna ran to Natsu's side and knelt beside him. "Are you okay, Natsu?"

Natsu rubbed the top of his head. "Yeah, I'm okay. It takes more than that to beat me."

Lisanna giggled. "Of course. Such a big, strong man."

Happy walked over and patted Natsu's knee. "Natsu's okay!"

Elfman walked over to Natsu. "Sorry, Natsu. She's been in a really bad mood since yesterday."

Natsu shot Elfman a look. "It's your fault, Elfman!"

"What? What did I do?" Elfman asked while taking a step backwards.

Natsu leapt to his feet. "You said that you, Lisanna, and Mira were all going on a mission!"

"We were!" Elfman assured. "We got to the train station, and big sis said that she needed to go check on something. She said that she'd be right back, but she didn't show."

"I didn't know that," Lisanna blinked. "What did she have to check on?"

"How should I know?" Elfman said. "Look, I'm sorry, Natsu."

Natsu turned his back on Elfman. "Well it's your fault that things are even worse now."

"Say what?" Elfman said in disbelief. "How?"

"She caught me 'cause you lied to me!" Natsu barked.

"I didn't lie. I just didn't know that she'd abandon the mission like that."

"What is going on?" Lisanna ordered.

"Nothing," Natsu muttered. He had no desire to tell Lisanna anything about what had happened.

"Natsu and Gray wanted to steal Mira's diary so that she'd stop picking on them," Elfman admitted.

"Shut up, Elfman!" Natsu shouted.

Lisanna looked at Natsu with shock. "Natsu, you didn't…"

"What's the big deal?" Natsu asked. "I didn't even understand what was in there. It made no sense."

"Natsu, how could you?" Lisanna asked. "You can't do things like that! Those are her private thoughts! You had no right to look through her diary! No wonder she's so mad at you."

Natsu crossed his arms. "Geez, you sound just like Mira."

"She caught you reading her diary?" Elfman asked. "No wonder she wants to kill you."

"Yeah, I got it," Natsu snapped.

Lisanna stood up and stomped her tiny feet, pointing off in the direction that Mira went with a serious look on her face. "Natsu, go apologize to my sister this instant."

Natsu looked at the floor. "I know," he said softly. "I know I have to tell her that I'm sorry."

"Good. Now go," Lisanna said.

Natsu nodded and jogged off towards where Mira had gone.

Lisanna sighed as he ran off. "Honestly, what was he thinking?"

"I don't know," Elfman said. "I told them that it was crazy."

Lisanna glared at him. "And as for you, big brother Elf, what were _you_ thinking?"

"What did I do?" Elfman asked.

"You helped them!" Lisanna said. "You knew what was happening and you went along with it!"

Elfman bowed his head repeatedly over and over again. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Lisanna sighed again and gently palmed her forehead. She then bent down and picked up Happy, cradling the cat in her small arms. "What is with all of these boys lately, Happy?"

* * *

><p>Natsu searched high and low for Mira. He was terrified about what would happen when he found her, but he knew he had to apologize. He decided on that before Lisanna had told him to, after all. Still, what would Mira do? He had taken a boot to the head in front of everyone. If they were alone, what would Mira do to him? He gulped as horrific visions of torture flashed through his mind.<p>

He stopped at the end of a hallway, panting from all of the running he had done, when he heard the sound of laughter—evil laughter. He nodded his head as he ran towards the noise. There was no doubt in his mind. That was Mira's laugh. He knew it all too well. He followed the laugh until he reached the storage room where he saw Mira and Erza butting heads with each other, hands locked together as they fought. They were so focused on their fight that they didn't notice Natsu standing in the doorway.

"You think you're so funny!" Erza shouted at her.

"Oh c'mon, lighten up!" Mira laughed. "What's the big deal?"

"I'm tired of you pulling that prank!" Erza said.

"Oh, get off your high horse," Mira spat. "I don't do it just 'cause of you, ya know."

"I'll make you pay, you flat-chested harpy," Erza hissed. "You will never interfere with my cake mix again, you hear me?"

"Come at me, you scarlet-haired freak," Mira shot back. "I'll make you regret fixating on me like this."

Natsu watched as the two continued to push against each other with all of their strength, constantly slinging insults at each other that Natsu didn't completely understand. _'Huh. Igneel never taught me words like that. I wonder what they mean…'_ He was getting tired of waiting, though. He needed to get this over with and face whatever punishment he was going to receive. With a deep breath and a quick reminder to himself who he was the son of, he knocked on the door frame of the storage room.

Both girls looked over. "What?" they shouted simultaneously.

Natsu gulped. "I...uh…need to speak with Mira for a sec, if that's okay."

"We're in the middle of something, Natsu," Erza said. "Come back later."

"I know, but it's really important," Natsu said.

Erza looked at him for a while, head still pressed against Mira's before she sighed. "I guess that's okay wi…"

"I don't want to talk to you," Mira interrupted. "Go away."

Natsu took a step back, almost losing his nerve at seeing the venomous look in Mira's eyes. However, he knew he had to do this. He steeled his resolve and stepped into the storage room. "Just hear me out for one second."

Before Mira could respond, Erza did a quick maneuver to escape the deadlock, causing Mira to crash into the supplies. "I'll leave you two alone," she said as she made her way towards the exit. However, she stopped once she reached Natsu, looked over her shoulder and said, "This isn't over, Mira. We will finish this later." With that, she walked off.

"Yeah, you better run!" Mira called out after her as she brushed off the food that covered her.

Natsu walked over to Mira, his head hanging low. "Listen, Mira. I just wanted to say that I…"

"Are you deaf or just stupid?" Mira spat at him.

"Huh?"

She stood up and leaned in, causing Natsu to back up. She followed him as he went. "I told you that I don't want to talk to you. I don't even want to see your face."

Natsu's back hit the wall, but Mira's face never backed away. She maintained the close distance. He could feel her eyes burning through his. "I know you're upset, but I…"

"I don't want to hear it!" she shouted. "I don't want to hear anything that you have to say!"

"But…"

"Shut up!" she shrieked as she backed off. Her head hung low, her white bangs covering her eyes. Her thin frame was shaking as she clenched her fists. "Just get out of here and leave me alone."

"Just let me say what I…" Natsu began. However, he was soon interrupted.

Mira bent down, picked up an orange that had fallen to the ground when she crashed into the supplies, tore it in half, and pressed the two halves against Natsu's face. She dug the fruit into his face, watching as the juice ran down his skin. "Say another word and this juice will end up in your eyes."

Natsu gritted his teeth. He couldn't take it anymore. "Screw this!" Natsu shouted as he pushed Mira away, orange juice still dripping down his face. "I came to apologize to you, but you won't even let me speak! I mean, I don't even understand what I saw and you're treating me even worse than before!"

Mira threw the orange on the ground, her rage building. "Understanding what you saw isn't the point, Natsu! You can't just read someone's diary!"

"Then why won't you let me apologize?"

"Because I don't want to be anywhere near you right now! I don't want to hear your lame ass apology! You probably don't even understand why you're apologizing because you're so stupid!"

"I'm apologizing because I made you cry!" he bellowed.

Mira froze, her face twisted in anger. "Get out," she hissed.

Natsu huffed at her. "Gladly!" With that, he stormed off.

Mira watched him walk away, her anger not subsiding. Once he was completely out of sight, she kicked the orange that lay at her feet, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Natsu, you jerk."

* * *

><p><strong>I will do everything I can to make update occur more frequently. Until next time!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail.

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long update, but I'm happy to report that I no longer have to study like a maniac for certification exams! So now I can write and write and write and hopefully give you guys updates at a much faster pace. If for some reason an update is taking a while, it's safe to assume that I'm struggling slightly with the direction of the chapter. After this chapter, though, I'm starting to feel a god flow, so hopefully inspiration will kick in more frequently.**

**Anyway, here's the latest chapter Viscernal's _A Diary's Secret_!**

**PS. Feel free to check out my other story that I'm working on!**

_**Fairy Tail—A Diary's Secret**_

**Chapter 3**

Natsu stomped his way back into the main hall of the guild, fuming over the "conversation" that he had with Mira. He just didn't get it. Why wouldn't she let him apologize? And why did she seem to get even angrier when he told her why he was apologizing? Did he mess something up without realizing? Was there something else that he was supposed to say? He scratched his head furiously. He just didn't get it.

Lisanna and Elfman saw Natsu walking back over looking very angry and ran over to him. "What happened, Natsu?" Elfman asked.

"Did you apologize to Mira?" Lisanna asked.

Natsu crossed his arms and looked away. "Like I would ever apologize to someone as evil as she is!"

Lisanna put her hands on her hips. "Natsu! You need to apologize!"

"She's right, Natsu," Happy said as he landed on Natsu's head. "You need to say you're sorry."

Natsu huffed. "You guys are annoying."

"You need to do the right thing, Natsu," Lisanna stated.

"Look, I tried, okay?" Natsu threw back. "I tried to apologize to her, but she wouldn't even let me speak. How can I apologize to someone who won't let me say anything?"

"I'm sure that she wants to hear you apologize," Lisanna said.

"You did do something pretty bad after all," Elfman said.

"Shut up, Elfman! This is all your fault anyway!" Natsu shouted.

"It is not! This whole thing was your idea!"

"No it wasn't! It was Gray's idea and I'm the only one who's being yelled at here! How is that fair?"

"You were the only one who snuck in and read her diary," Happy said.

"Happy," Natsu growled threateningly.

"Don't get mad at Happy. He's right!" Lisanna said. "You read Mira's diary and you should have known better."

Natsu stomped his foot. "Would you all stop ganging up on me? I get it now; I shouldn't have read her diary."

"Oh wow, you read Mira's diary?"

Everyone turned around to see Cana walking over. The 12-year-old brunette had been in the guild for nearly six years and in that time had developed a knack for Card Magic, especially fortune telling.

"What do you want, Cana?" Natsu grumbled.

Cana smirked at Natsu. "You clearly have a death wish if you read Mira's diary. Honestly Natsu, are you really that curious to know what Mira thinks about?"

"No!"

Cana giggled. "I mean, you're going to be 11 years old pretty soon, right? Maybe you're hoping that Mira likes you and you wanted to know for sure."

"Shut up!" Natsu shouted as he blushed. "Mira doesn't like me. She hates me! Even before I read her diary, she was always picking on me!"

"Wow, calm down. I'm just teasing you," Cana said as she burst out laughing. "It really is too easy. That's probably why Mira's always picking on you. Your reactions are too perfect."

"Knock it off, Cana!"

Gray walked over to the group. "Why the heck do you keep shouting, coal brains?"

Natsu gritted his teeth and lunged at Gray, knocking him to the ground. "Take this!" he cried as he threw a punch at Gray that connected with the side of his face.

"Ow! Oh you're asking for it now!" Gray said as he kicked Natsu off of him. He sprang to his feet and lunged at the now downed Natsu.

The two boys punched, kicked, and rolled around the guild hall. Lisanna looked on worriedly, Cana laughed, and everyone else watched from their respective tables, some exchanging money from a bet placed yesterday—that peace between the two boys wouldn't last more than a day.

The two boys would have kept fighting had it not been for Erza. She walked over to the two, grabbed the boys by their hair (since Gray's shirt had disappeared and she couldn't grab him by the collar) and forced them apart. "That's enough," she demanded.

"He started it!" Gray spat as he attempted to reach Natsu across the great divide of Erza's arm span. "He jumped me out of nowhere!"

"No way! You started it!" Natsu threw back.

"How did I start it? You tackled me first!"

"Because you chickened out on your own plan and now Mira's mad at me!"

Erza glared at the two boys. "What plan?"

Both boys instantly froze with looks of fear on their faces. "Nothing," they replied simultaneously.

A tick mark appeared on Erza's forehead as she swiftly smacked the two boys together. She then released them, letting them crumple to the ground. "Start explaining. Now."

Gray sat up and rubbed his head. "Fine. Natsu snuck into Mira's room and read her diary."

Erza turned to Natsu with a deadly glare. "You did _what_?"

"Hey, the whole thing was Gray's idea!" Natsu said. "It was his plan for getting Mira to stop picking on us!"

Erza turned her back to Gray to focus her fury solely on Natsu. "Did Gray read the diary or sneak into Mira's room or break into the Strauss' house?"

"I didn't break in," Natsu mumbled. "And no, he chickened out."

"I didn't chicken out," Gray said. "I just realized that it was a bad idea."

"Well you coulda told me!"

"Enough," Erza demanded, her gaze never leaving Natsu. "Did you apologize?"

Natsu put the soles of his feet together and looked away. "No, she didn't let me." He was getting pretty tired of explaining that.

"She's probably too mad at you and I don't blame her, even if she is a cake destroyer," Erza said, subtly clenching her fists to combat the anger she was still feeling towards the Demon of Fairy Tail. "You're going to have to find a way to make this right, Natsu."

"How the heck am I supposed to do that?"

Erza stomped off. "Figure it out."

"Where are you going?" Gray asked.

"I have unfinished business with a certain white haired tramp," Erza said and everyone in the guild could swear that an evil aura had suddenly surrounded the scarlet mage.

Gray gulped. "I guess those two are gonna go at it again."

Natsu stood up and brushed off his clothes. "I'm getting outta here. See ya," he said as he began to run for the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Lisanna called after him.

"Out!" he cried without turning around as he bolted out of the guild.

Lisanna held her hands close to her chest. "Oh, Natsu."

* * *

><p>Erza reentered the storage room where she had last seen Mira and, sure enough, there she was, sitting on the floor while staring at an orange half. Erza sighed as she walked further in. As much as she wanted to beat Mira senseless for messing with her cake mix, she could still see that Mira was upset. "I heard everything from Natsu."<p>

Mira tightened her grip on the orange, forcing the little bit of juice that remained to run down her hand. "That little pest," she hissed.

Erza sat down to face her. "He tried to apologize, you know."

"What do you care?" Mira spat at her.

"I care because you're sad," Erza said.

Mira chuckled. "Why would I be sad?"

"Because Natsu hurt you."

"As if."

"You should let him apologize."

"I don't wanna hear it from him. I told him that. That idiot doesn't even understand what he's apologizing for."

"Still…"

Mira stood up, her bangs hiding her face. "I'm done talking," she said softly as she made her way out of the storage room.

Erza watched her leave. _'I've never seen Mira look so upset over anything before. I wonder why she's acting like this over something so small.'_

* * *

><p>Natsu lay on the grass by the river that he loved to frequent, his arms behind his head as he looked up at the sky. He was fed up with the whole situation; having to apologize to Mira for something he couldn't even understand, Mira not even <em>letting<em> him apologize, and the worst of it all was _everyone_ ganging up on him, telling him that what he did was wrong and that he did something so bad and that he needed to make it right. Seriously, what did they know? Why was everyone attacking him? And why was Gray completely in the clear?

"What am I supposed to do?" he said as he rolled over onto his side as he stared at the grass. He could see two small little bugs fighting over a small scrap of food. He watched as the two tugged and tugged, wanting to win the meal for themselves. Eventually, one of the bugs won and began to scurry off with the food. The other bug, instead of just letting the first bug win, chased its competitor and easily caught up to it. The bug tackled the other bug as the two wrestled with flailing legs and snapping pincers.

Natsu's eyes widened and a smile split his face. He leapt to his feet. "That's it! I know how to make Mira feel better!" He dashed back towards the guild, confident that he now had the solution to fix everything.

* * *

><p>Mira sat at the bar, slowly sipping on a soda as she stared at nothing. Her mood hadn't changed at all. She was still fuming at Natsu and no matter what she did, she couldn't calm down. She gripped the glass tightly, wishing that the cold cylinder was Natsu's neck. <em>'That ass. Why does he have to be so stupid?'<em>

"Mira? Are you okay?" Lisanna asked as she struggled to get onto the chair that was next to Mira.

"Fine," she said bluntly.

"But you look so sad."

"I'm not sad. I'm angry."

"I'm sorry about what Natsu did."

"I don't need you apologizing for him and I don't need to hear it from him either."

"But Mira, he is sorry."

She looked at her sister. "Are you kidding? That idiot doesn't understand a damn thing. He has no idea what he's even sorry for! I mean, he _actually_ believes that just because he didn't understand what he read that he's in the clear."

"I'm sure that if you two tried to talk it out…"

"No, Lisanna. This won't be fixed by 'talking it out'. He's too dense for something like that anyway."

"Then what are you going to do? You can't avoid him for the rest of your life."

Mira sipped her drink. "Watch me."

Suddenly, the doors to the guild hall burst open and in sprang Natsu. He slid to a stop and pointed at Mira. "Hey Mira! I challenge you to a fight!"

The entire room was frozen. No one knew how to respond. It wasn't as if Natsu had never challenged Mira before, but they were all far more surprised that Natsu would challenge Mira _now_, when she was in an awful mood.

Mira turned to look at him with a glare. "What?"

Natsu smirked. "I said that I wanna fight you!"

Lisanna waved her hands in front of her and shook her head, trying to silently beg Natsu not to do something like that. However, he wasn't even looking at her. His onyx eyes were focused on Mira's blue eyes as the two stared off.

Mira hopped off of her seat and put her hands on her hips. "I have no interest in fighting a weak moron like you."

Natsu snickered. "Then this will be an easy win!" he cried as he lunged at Mira. However, Mira sidestepped and held out her arm, causing Natsu to spin slightly and crash to the ground on his back. "Ow."

Mira stepped on his chest, applying a lot of pressure. "There. I win. Happy?"

Natsu grabbed her foot. "I'm not done yet!"

Mira sighed before ripping her foot from his grasp and sending a powerful kick at Natsu's head, sending him flying into a table. "There. Now I win."

Natsu groaned as he sat up. He was covered in cuts, but he still had every intention to fight. "Not yet!"

Mira felt her anger building. She ran towards Natsu, leapt into the air, and descended while leading with her feet. She crashed into Natsu's stomach, forcing all of the air out of his lungs as her heels dug into his body. She sprang back and glared down at his unconscious frame before turning around with a huff. "Moron."

Lisanna ran to Natsu. "Natsu, are you okay?"

Happy flew over and landed on Natsu's chest. "Get up!"

Natsu groaned as he slowly came to. "Darn. I thought I'd at least land a hit."

"Natsu, what were you thinking?" Lisanna asked. "Why would you fight Mira? You know that she's in a bad mood."

Natsu stood up, but strangely, he was smiling. "Yeah, I know."

Lisanna raised an eyebrow at him. "Then what were you thinking?" she repeated.

Natsu snickered. "Hey Mira!" he called out. The white haired teen didn't stop, but he continued anyway. "This isn't over! You won today, but I'll get you tomorrow! Just you wait!"

Mira gritted her teeth as she kept on walking away. _'What an idiot.'_

* * *

><p>A month passed by and nothing had changed. Mira was still furious at Natsu, completely avoiding him whenever she could. She never spoke a word to him either, except for when they fought, but even then it was the bare minimum.<p>

Yes, the two fought every day. Natsu would challenge Mira once every single day, never saying why and never getting discouraged after being completely thrashed. Mira was never gentle, either. In fact, she was ruthless. Everyone who watched the fight could tell that she was putting every ounce of her foul mood into her fighting. And poor Natsu didn't stand a chance against that kind of fury. Not once over the course of the month did he land a hit, but he certainly received plenty.

Makarov sat on the bar counter as he guzzled down a mug of beer and watched as Natsu was grabbed by Mira, flipped upside-down, and drilled head first into the floorboards. He sighed with satisfaction as he finished his drink. "Another round please," he said as he put his mug behind him on the counter. He then returned his attention to Mira and Natsu. He watched as Mira brushed off her hands and walked off without a word.

He watched as Natsu groaned and forced himself to his feet. He watched as the small boy wobbled on his legs while pointing at the retreating Mira. "This isn't over!" he shouted. "Tomorrow I'll win for sure!"

Makarov sighed as he closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. _'Those two are something else.'_ He opened his eyes and called out, "Natsu, my boy. Come here for a minute, would you?"

Natsu looked over at Makarov, one eye black and blue and swollen shut from a fight with Mira a couple of days ago. He shuffled his way over to Makarov, climbed up onto a stool, and let his head collapse on the counter with a tired grunt. "What's up, gramps?"

"Natsu, why do you keep challenging Mira like this?" the old guild master inquired. "As if by clockwork, you challenge her once a day around the same time. And every time, you get beaten easily. Now I'm not saying you should give up on defeating her, but shouldn't you take a break every now and then? Maybe fight someone else?"

"No way," Natsu refused.

"At least tell me why," Makarov said.

"Because it's the only way to fix things," Natsu said as he pushed his head off of the counter.

Makarov crossed his arms. _'I see what this is about now,'_ he thought with a sigh. "Listen, Natsu. Do you really think that everything will go back to normal if you keep fighting? Do you really think that things will be fixed if you keep letting her beat on you with all of her anger and sorrow?"

Natsu turned around to face the same direction as Makarov. "I don't know what else to do. People keep telling me that I need to make things right, but Mira won't let me apologize," Natsu admitted softly. "How else can I make things better? Fighting always makes me feel better, so I thought maybe it would help Mira feel better."

"Well your heart is in the right place," Makarov said. "However, your approach is all wrong."

"It is?"

"Natsu, why do you want to apologize?" Makarov asked.

"Because I made Mira cry."

"And that is why you're failing to reach her."

"Huh?"

"I can promise you that that's not what she wants to hear you say."

"What does it matter as long as I say that I'm sorry?"

"You need to know what you're apologizing for, Natsu."

"Why?"

"Unless you know what you're apologizing for, your words won't hold the same meaning."

Natsu crossed his arms and thought back to his attempted apology to Mira.

* * *

><p><em>Mira threw the orange on the ground, her rage building. "Understanding what you saw isn't the point, Natsu! You can't just read someone's diary!"<em>

_ "Then why won't you let me apologize?"_

_ "Because I don't want to be anywhere near you right now! I don't want to hear your lame ass apology! You probably don't even understand why you're apologizing because you're so stupid!"_

_ "I'm apologizing because I made you cry!" he bellowed._

_ Mira froze, her face twisted in anger. "Get out," she hissed._

* * *

><p>Natsu squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to focus on everything that was said. Thinking back on it, what Master Makarov said made sense; when he told Mira why he was apologizing, she got even angrier. So then what should he be apologizing for? He looked up at Makarov. "So am I apologizing because I did something that I shouldn't have?"<p>

"That's part of it," Makarov said.

"Can you tell me the rest of it?" Natsu begged. He was coming up empty as to what exactly he should apologize for.

"I'm afraid you need to figure it out on your own," Makarov said.

"Aw what? Why?"

"If you don't realize it on your own, then your apology won't reach her heart because you won't truly believe your words in your own heart."

Natsu looked at his bruised hands as they rested on his scraped legs. "So I need to figure out why I'm apologizing?"

"Exactly."

Natsu leapt off of the chair. "Okay! Then I'll figure it out! I promise!" He then bolted out the door of the guild.

Makarov sighed and smiled. _'I wish I could help you Natsu, but you have to solve this one on your own. Otherwise, you will never grow.'_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail.

**Hey everyone! I think I got this chapter out faster than usual! (right?) I'm starting to get that feel for how this story will go and where major plot points are going to happen so that makes it easier to write. When I'm not working on lessons or my other FanFic (yet another shameless case of self advertisement-check out my other story!), I'm working hard to plan out and write this story.**

**So sit back, relax, and enjoy the latest installment of Viscernal's _A Diary's Secret_!**

_**Fairy Tail—A Diary's Secret**_

**Chapter 4**

"Master Makarov!" Lisanna called as she ran over to the guild master.

Makarov peered down at the youngest Strauss sibling from his perch on the guild's bar counter. "Yes, Lisanna? Do you need something?"

Lisanna looked both ways worriedly before returning her eyes to Makarov. "Master Makarov, have you seen Natsu and Happy? I can't find them anywhere. I know they were here not too long ago."

Makarov took a sip from his mug of beer and released a content sigh. "Natsu left a while ago. I can only assume that Happy went with him if he's not here."

"He left? But why?" she asked.

The old guild master chuckled softly as he lifted his mug to his lips. "Who knows?" he replied before taking a massive swig.

Lisanna pouted. "Are you sure that you don't know?"

Makarov set down the mug and laughed. "Oh, let the boy be, Lisanna. You're not his wife yet."

Lisanna blushed as she remembered the day when she asked Natsu if she could be his wife when they got older. "Yeah, but…" She turned to the door of the guild. _'Natsu, where did you go? I'm really worried about you.'_

Makarov sighed. "Look Lisanna, I know that you're concerned since Mira and Natsu haven't been on the best terms lately, but it's nothing to get too upset about."

"Really?" she asked, looking at him with hope in her eyes.

"Just let things run their course. I'm sure that in time, those two will smooth things out and all will be well again."

* * *

><p>Natsu paced back and forth in front of his dining table. His brow was furrowed, his hands were folded behind his back, his lips were pursed, and frustrated grunts were escaping his throat. He was deep in thought as he desperately searched his brain for some clue as to what he should be apologizing for. <em>'What could it be? If it's not for making her cry, then what is it exactly that I'm apologizing for?'<em> He stopped his pacing to furiously scratch his head. "Darn it! Why won't Gramps tell me? This would be so much easier!"

Happy sat upon the filthy dining table, looking up at his father. "What are you trying to think about again?"

Natsu turned to Happy with his arms crossed. "I'm trying to figure out what I should apologize for."

"Why does that matter?"

Natsu shrugged. "Something about if I don't figure it out then Mira won't accept my apology."

"Oh, I get it."

Natsu leaned forward. "So do you have any ideas?"

The small blue cat tapped his own head lightly. "Nuh uh."

Natsu groaned. "This is just great! I'm never gonna figure this out! And if I don't, Mira will never forgive me."

"Maybe she'll forget that she's angry after a little while," Happy offered.

"Are you kidding? Mira would never let go of a grudge," Natsu said as he shivered. "She'll hold this over me until the day I die unless I can make it better."

"So then what are you going to do?" Happy asked. "How are you going to figure this out?"

Natsu huffed. "If I knew that then I wouldn't be having so much trouble right now."

"Can you ask someone for help?" Happy asked.

"Like who? Gramps won't tell me anything and everyone else seems to hate my guts lately. If I asked them, they'd just tell me to figure it out for myself. Jerks."

Happy summoned his wings and flew onto Natsu's head. "This is tough," he muttered sadly.

Natsu dropped to the ground, his arms still folded as he closed his eyes. "No kidding. I bet if Igneel were here, he'd tell me exactly what I need to do to make things right with Mira."

"Aye."

Natsu opened an eye and looked up at the small blue cat. "Hey Happy? If you were me, what would you do?"

Happy lifted a paw. "I'd give Mira a fish! That would make her feel all better."

Natsu sighed. "Somehow I doubt that will work."

"But fish make everything better."

"Maybe if you're a cat," he grumbled.

Happy frowned. He wished that he could help Natsu, but he just didn't know a lot yet. He'd only been born about a few months ago, so how could he possibly understand any of this? Still, he did understand that Mira was upset and that Natsu was upset and he wanted desperately to help. But what could he do?

Natsu groaned loudly as he fell onto his back, forcing Happy to take flight once again. He stared up at the roof of his home. "What am I apologizing for?" he said softly. He thought back to his conversation with Makarov. "I did something I shouldn't have, which was read Mira's diary. Is that what I should apologize for? Do I apologize for reading her diary?"

"It makes sense," Happy said as he hovered in the air. "Reading her diary is what made her cry."

Natsu sat up. "Maybe I'll run it by Gramps first. Hopefully he'll tell me that I'm right."

"Aye!" Happy cheered. He then looked over to the large bulletin board that sat against the right wall of their home. He saw a red mark on a calendar and flew over to get a better look. He stared at the mark and then smiled wide. He grabbed the calendar and flew over to Natsu. "Natsu, take a look!"

"What is it?"

Happy handed over the calendar. "Look what tomorrow is!" he said excitedly.

Natsu took the calendar and looked it over. He smiled. "Oh yeah! I forgot that was tomorrow."

* * *

><p>The next day, the guild was in very high spirits, more so than usual. Everyone was laughing, eating, drinking, and having a good time. Colorful streamers hung from the rafters, balloons sailed through the air, and everyone was wearing colorful cone-shaped hats.<p>

Today was Lisanna's eleventh birthday.

The youngest Strauss sibling was beaming as she walked around with her sister and brother. "Wow! This is amazing!"

"It's your first birthday since we joined the guild," Elfman said. "We had to make sure that it _was_ amazing, so we went all out. Although I have to admit that Mira took care of most of the planning."

Mira grinned as she admired her fingernails. "It was nothing."

Lisanna gripped the hands of her dear brother and sister. "Thank you, Mira! Thank you, big brother Elf! This is wonderful! I love you both so much."

"We love you, too, Lisanna," Mira said. "Happy birthday."

Lisanna smiled at her sister. "I'm glad that you're in a better mood today, Mira. You've been so sad lately."

Mira cringed, but kept her smile. "Today is all about you. Forget about me. Let's just enjoy your day together!"

Lisanna nodded happily. "Right!"

The guild doors swung open and Natsu and Happy walked in. Natsu immediately froze, though, as he stared with wide eyes at how different everything looked.

Lisanna's large smile somehow grew even larger. "Natsu's here!"

Mira huffed. "So the idiot actually remembered to come for your birthday. I'm impressed."

"Mira, be nice," Lisanna said. She released her siblings' hands. "I'm going to say hi!"

Mira watched her sister run towards the pink haired Dragon Slayer before turning and walking towards the first empty table she could find.

"Natsu!" Lisanna called out.

Natsu blinked himself back to reality as he looked over to Lisanna. "Oh, hey Lisanna. Happy birthday."

She stopped in front of him with a smile and blushed. "Thanks!" She noticed how confused he looked and that made her feel confused as well. "Why do you look so lost?" she asked.

Natsu returned to looking around. "What's with all this stuff?"

Lisanna giggled. "Mira and Elfman wanted to throw a big party, so they went all out."

"But what's with the ice cream cone hats and colored paper?" he asked.

"They're party decorations, silly."

"Party decorations?"

She blinked. "You've never seen party decorations before?"

"Forget about seeing them. I've never _heard_ of them before."

"_Really_?" she gasped.

He crossed his arms and pouted. "What's so strange about that?"

"Does that mean that you've never had a birthday party before?"

"Sure I have!" he exclaimed. "Igneel celebrated my birthday with me every year! We celebrated ten of them!"

"I see," Lisanna said sadly. _'So he's never had a birthday party before with decorations or cake or friends.'_

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

She shook her head and smiled. "No reason!"

"Okay," he said slowly. He then looked up to where Happy was resting on his head. "Happy, stay with Lisanna while I go find Gramps."

"Aye!" Happy said as he flew into Lisanna's arms. "Happy birthday!"

"Aw, thanks Happy!" she said as she hugged her son. "What do you need to talk to Master Makarov about?"

"It's not important," he said as he ran off. "See you later!"

She slowly waved. "Okay. Bye." She looked back at Happy. "Do you know what's going on?"

"Natsu's working really hard to fix things!" Happy replied cheerfully.

Lisanna sighed. _'He's working really hard to fix things with big sister. I wish they could get along better.'_ Lisanna nodded her head. _'Right. If he's going to work this hard, then I want to help, even if Master Makarov says that I should just let it go!'_ She set Happy down on a table. "Happy, go say hi to everyone. I have to do something real quick."

"Aye!" Happy said as he watched Lisanna run off. He scratched his head. "Everything is really confusing lately."

* * *

><p>"Hey Gramps!" Natsu called out.<p>

Makarov looked down from his seat on the bar counter where he was enjoying a beer with Macao and Wakaba. He was wearing two party hats on the top of his head, giving him the appearance of a man with rainbow devil horns. "Ah, you made it, Natsu. Lisanna's been waiting for you, you know."

"I already saw her. I really need to talk to you, Gramps," Natsu replied with a look of seriousness in his eyes.

Makarov sighed. "Very well. Leave it to you to be this much of a party killer." He looked to Macao and Wakaba. "Give us a minute, would you?"

"Sure thing," Macao said.

Wakaba stood up and grinned at Natsu. "After you two talk, make sure you lighten up, Natsu. This is a party after all." The two men then walked off to mingle with others.

"So what is it now, Natsu?" Makarov asked.

Natsu hopped up onto a bar chair, swung his body to face Makarov, and gripped the edge of the chair with both hands as he leaned forward. "I think I figured it out."

Makarov chuckled. "Did you now?"

"Yeah!"

"Then why are you telling me?"

"I want to make sure I'm right in case I mess up and make things even worse." The young Dragon Slayer gulped. "I _really_ don't wanna make things worse."

"Okay, then. Let's hear it."

Natsu nodded and leaned in even closer, as if he were afraid of being overheard by anyone. "I should apologize for reading her diary."

"Well you're getting warmer," Makarov muttered, "but you're still not there yet."

"Oh, come on! What?" Natsu shouted. "What am I missing here?"

"I can't tell you that, Natsu. And before you ask 'why not' remember that I already told you why that's the case."

"But Gramps, what if I never figure it out? What if I can't make things better?"

"So you're giving up then?"

Natsu slammed his fist on the counter. "As if! I'll figure it out. Just you watch me!" He leapt from his chair and stormed off.

Makarov lifted his mug up to his face. "That was definitely a step in the right direction, Natsu. Now you just have to dig a little bit deeper," he said softly. He then took a massive swig and exclaimed, "Now lighten up! This is a party!"

* * *

><p>"Mira!" Lisanna called out.<p>

Mira turned to her kid sister. "What is it, Lisanna?"

Lisanna balled her fists and stood confidently as she looked into her sister's eyes. "I have a favor to ask."

"A favor?" Mira repeated, her eyebrow lifted in confusion and suspicion. "What kind of favor?"

"Maybe favor isn't the best word. More like a birthday present for me."

"What is it?" Mira asked.

"I want you to talk with Natsu."

Mira turned her back on her sister. "Forget it."

"But Mira…"

"Look, Lisanna. Talking with him won't do any good. Just leave it alone. I don't want to get angry on your special day."

Lisanna's head sank. "But he's trying so hard. Why can't you at least meet him halfway?"

"This discussion is over, Lisanna," Mira said with a slight edge in her voice.

Lisanna bowed. "Please, big sister! I really want you to just talk with him. I'm not asking for much. I'm not asking you to forgive him right this second. I'm not asking you to hug him or kiss him or anything. I just want you two to talk. All I want is for you to give him the chance to _say_ something. Please, big sister!"

Mira looked at her little sister whose head was bowed and body was rigid. She absolutely wanted nothing to do with Natsu, especially today, but she didn't want to upset her sister on her birthday. It was like she had said earlier; today was all about Lisanna. Her own feelings could take a back seat for just one day. She sighed. "Fine. I'll talk with him, but only for a little while. Got it?"

Lisanna whipped up, a large smile on her face and tears in her eyes. She threw herself into Mira's arms. "Oh, thank you, Mira! Thank you so much!"

Mira gave a small smile as she pet her sister's head. "Yeah, yeah. Honestly, I spoil you too much."

* * *

><p>"Stupid Gramps not telling me anything helpful," Natsu muttered, his head propped up on his fist. He was sitting at a table by himself as he tried to rack his brain for anything he missed. After all, the sooner he figured out how to mend things with Mira the better. Then at least her picking on him would be far less severe.<p>

He was so sure that he had it, though. How could he have been wrong? Reading her diary was what he did wrong, so how is that _not_ what he should be apologizing for? He unclenched his fist so that his chin could rest in the palm of his hand. "Gramps said I was getting warmer, but I don't feel like I've gotten any closer to figuring this out."

"Natsu," a familiar, cold voice called out.

Natsu's entire body went rigid as if remaining motionless would protect him from the owner of the voice. He gulped as he slowly turned around to see Mira standing close behind him, looking at him with an icy glare and her hands planted firmly on her hips. "H…Hey Mira. What's up?"

"Come with me," she demanded as she turned around and walked off.

Natsu wasn't about to disobey. He leapt up and ran to catch up with Mira.

Gray, Cana, and Erza watched the two walk towards the back halls of the guild. "Where do you think they're going?" Cana asked.

"Mira probably dug his grave and now she's gonna bury him in it," Gray snickered.

Erza sighed. "Hopefully they'll talk things out and make things better."

"That's a pretty boring idea," Gray said.

Erza glared at him. "It's what should happen," she growled.

Gray began to sweat nervously. "Right. Of course."

Erza closed her eyes and nodded. "Now, for the love of God, would you put your clothes on, Gray? This is a child's birthday party."

* * *

><p>"So what is it, Mira?" Natsu asked nervously. He had been following Mira through the halls, waiting for her to say something, anything, but she remained deathly silent.<p>

Mira suddenly stopped and turned on her heels to glare at him. "Okay, this is good."

He gulped. "Good for what?" he asked as he suddenly began to fear for his life.

Mira began walking towards him, causing Natsu to subconsciously retreat until his back hit the wall. She placed her hands on the wall on either side of his head so that he couldn't escape. "Lisanna wanted me to let you talk. It's a birthday present for her, so that's the only reason I'm giving you this opportunity. Got it?"

He nodded swiftly. "Okay."

"So talk."

He gulped. "A…About what?"

"Don't be stupid," she growled. "I don't have all day, so if you have something to say to me, say it."

Natsu's eyes widened. Mira was giving him a chance to apologize. He felt so relieved that he didn't have to chase her around anymore. He could finally fix things.

And then he remembered the harsh reality; he still had no idea what he should apologize for.

Mira leaned in slightly. "I'm waiting, Natsu."

Natsu looked into Mira's eyes, wanting desperately to fix everything right here and now, but he had no idea what to say. He was at a loss for words. _'I already tried apologizing for making her cry, so I can't do that. Gramps said that apologizing for reading her diary wasn't right, either, but should I try it? But what if that makes things worse, too? What do I do? Should I just take a shot and see what happens? But what if she makes it her goal in life to make me miserable based on what I say?'_ He dropped his gaze to the ground. _'What do I do? What do I say?'_

Mira tapped her fingers on the wall. "Well?"

Natsu's mind was running a mile a minute. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say. He had been given this golden opportunity and he was drawing a blank.

"Five more seconds and I'm gone."

Natsu gulped. _'I don't have a choice. I have to say something, so here it goes.'_ He bowed slightly, forcing Mira to back away slightly. "I'm sorry, Mira. I really am. I'm sorry for what I've done because I know what I did was wrong. But…I'm even sorrier for not being able to figure out what to apologize for."

Mira sighed. "Geez, you really are an idiot." She watched Natsu stand there motionlessly for a while as he continued to bow before turning around to head back to the party. "At least you're honest." With that, she walked away, leaving Natsu alone in the hallway.

A single tear rolled down Natsu's cheek and fell to the tiled floor. He sniffed and stood up straight, staring blankly at the opposite wall. He couldn't believe it. He had the chance to apologize and he couldn't even think of what to say. He had a chance and he blew it. And after getting that kind of chance, how could he believe that Mira would ever give him another? He leaned back against the wall, his frustrations flowing out of his eyes as tears. _'It's all over. I'll never make things better now._

_ 'I failed.'_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail.

**Hello everybody! Sorry this is coming at you a bit late. For those who aren't aware, there was a power outage in Los Angeles (where this site runs from) that knocked out the servers pretty much all day. So this chapter is coming to you today instead of yesterday!**

**I also want to apologize that this chapter is a little shorter than the others. I had this written and it only reached roughly 2000 words, which is far too short for my taste. I brought it back to the shop and worked my mind tirelessly to try and get out more content without damaging the chapter's content (which I thought was pretty good). I was able to bang out a few more hundred words, but I still would have liked it longer.**

**Last thing I swear. I was asked about how frequently I plan to update this story. I wish there was a set time frame, but I have so much work to do between my other story (check it out if you haven't already!) and the tons of lesson plans I have to prepare a day so it's tough to say. I will say that new updates (provided there are no more unforeseen obstacles) should come your way every 8-10 days. Sorry if that's long, but between the other work I have, planning each of these chapters, writing them, and then editing them with a fresh mind, it takes some time.**

**Okay, end rant. Man, I may talk too much. Anyway, please enjoy the latest from Viscernal's _A Diary's Secret_!**

_**Fairy Tail—A Diary's Secret**_

**Chapter 5**

Natsu lay face down in his hammock, his limbs sprawled about carelessly as he remained completely still. He couldn't breathe particularly well through the thick fabric of his hanging bed, but he didn't care all that much. It was almost like breathing made the pains in his chest worse.

Lisanna's party yesterday had come and gone and everyone had a great time—everyone except for Natsu. He kept himself hidden in the halls for a majority of the party, listening quietly to the sounds of laughter echoing throughout the building, for he didn't want anyone to see him crying. Especially not Gray or Erza. When he had finally stopped crying, he forced himself to rejoin everyone, but kept his distance and remained relatively quiet. He just sat by himself, inwardly beating himself up for what had happened between him and Mira.

"I couldn't say anything," Natsu mumbled into his hammock. He still couldn't believe it. Sure he didn't know what he should apologize for, but when in his life had he ever been completely and utterly void of any words whatsoever? Even if it was the wrong thing at times, he had always been able to say _something_. And then, to make matters worse, the words that did end up coming out of his mouth probably made Mira even angrier. She had to be angrier, right? It sure didn't sound like she forgave him. There were no words of comfort or smiles. Nothing had changed.

He turned over and gently rested one arm over his forehead and laid the other hand across his chest. He stared at the ceiling as he listened to and felt his heartbeat. It felt strangely heavy as it beat against his rib cage. It was an odd feeling that he almost never felt before and he wasn't too sure about what it meant. The only time he could remember feeling anything like it before was the day he discovered that Igneel had disappeared. It was uncomfortable and he didn't like it.

This was also the first time, aside from Igneel's disappearance, that Natsu felt this down and defeated. He didn't want to give up, but how was he possibly going to mend things with Mira when he couldn't even wrap his head around what had made Mira so upset in the first place? He knew that reading her diary was wrong now, but what he couldn't understand was why Mira was staying so mad for so long? He had this nagging feeling that if he could just figure that out then he could make everything better.

"Why won't anyone help me understand this? Why are they so determined to make me do this alone, completely by myself? Some friends they are."

"Natsu!" Happy cheered as he flew over to where his father lay resting. He landed on his small stomach and lifted a paw. "Good morning!"

"Hey, Happy," Natsu replied gloomily.

Happy's grin vanished. "Natsu, what's wrong?" He couldn't be too sure, but it seemed like Natsu was getting worse, not better.

"It's nothing," Natsu said as he rolled onto his side.

Happy was forced to take to the skies as his father changed positions. "You're upset about something."

"I am not."

"Yuh huh."

"Nuh uh."

"Did you eat a bad fish?"

"No Happy, I didn't eat a bad fish."

Happy scratched his furry chin. "That's all the ideas I have. Are you sure it wasn't a fish?"

Natsu sighed. "Just forget about it."

Happy walked over to the pillow where Natsu's head rested. "By the way, I saw you and Mira talking yesterday. I was happy for you! Did you apologize and fix everything like you said you would?"

Natsu groaned. For a cat who had nothing but fish on the brain and claimed to know nothing, he sure knew how to say the exact wrong thing. "No I didn't."

"Why not?"

"'Cause I blew it," he replied softly as tears began to fill his eyes again.

"You did?" Happy said sadly.

Natsu curled up into a ball as the tears began to slowly trickle down his cheeks. He could feel that uncomfortable weight inside of his chest get even heavier. "I made things worse because I don't get this and now Mira will _never_ forgive me!"

"You're giving up, Natsu?"

"No. I mean, I don't want to, but…"

"But what?"

"Can I even do this?"

"Of course you can!" Happy cheered. "You're Natsu. You can do anything."

"Well at least you think so, so thanks, I guess."

Happy patted Natsu's hair. "We should go to the guild. That will help make you feel better."

Natsu shook his head. "I don't feel like going today." In reality, he just wasn't sure that he could face Mira today. Every time he thought about her and what happened, his chest hurt even more.

Happy kept patting Natsu's hair. "But we have to go."

"Why do we have to go?"

"I'm hungry. What else are we going to do for food if we don't go to the guild?"

"Eat leftovers."

"There are none."

"There was a whole mess of food yesterday. How is there nothing left to eat?"

"Because I ate it all yesterday."

Natsu groaned and his stomach groaned with him. He pushed himself up, quickly wiped his face of tears, and looked at Happy with red eyes. "Fine. We'll go to the guild."

Happy leapt into the air. "Aye!"

Natsu sighed at the ecstatic cat. _'This is gonna suck big time. I just know it.'_

* * *

><p>Natsu slowly opened the door to the guild and peered inside. It was the usual scene within the guild hall—people laughing, eating, drinking, looking at the request board for a job—but his eyes were looking for one person and one person only; Mira. He scanned the room slowly, looking for the thin, white haired, demonic teen, but he didn't see her anywhere.<p>

"What are you doing?" Happy asked from the top of Natsu's head.

"Nothing," Natsu mumbled as he walked inside.

"It looked like you were looking for someone."

"Well I wasn't."

"Were you looking for Mira?"

"Just go find Lisanna!"

Happy flew off of his head. "Aye!" He took off into the guild in search of his mother.

Natsu breathed a sigh of relief as Happy flew off. He felt a little better not seeing Mira in the guild. Maybe he could relax and enjoy himself a bit. He looked around and saw the same people flocked together; Macao and Wakaba were sitting on bar stools laughing and making really bad jokes, Makarov was sitting on the bar counter drinking a beer, and Erza, Cana, and Gray sat at their own table. It looked like Cana said something to annoy Gray, for his clothes were completely gone as he yelled at the brunette. Not that his clothes disappearing was weird or uncommon, but the fact that he looked so livid hinted at an unwanted comment. Normally, Natsu would head over there without a second thought. However, he instead made his way to an empty table and sat down, letting his short legs swing from the bench. He set his elbows up on the table, rested his head in his hands, and stared off at nothing.

"Hey flame brain," Gray called out as he, Erza, and Cana walked over. "What are you doing sitting all by yourself?"

Natsu blinked and looked at Gray. "I dunno."

Gray lifted an eyebrow. "You don't know? How do you not know? You chose to sit here, didn't you?"

Natsu shrugged. "I wasn't really thinking about it. I just did it."

"Natsu, are you okay? You seem really out of it today," Cana asked.

"I do?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah. You're usually jumping all over Gray for simply speaking to you," Cana said and then giggled.

"Guess I just didn't feel like it," Natsu replied.

"Normally I'd be pleased that you're so calm," Erza said, her brow furrowed, "but Cana's right. This is so unlike you that it's concerning."

"Look, whaddya want from me?" Natsu snapped. He wasn't in the greatest of moods to begin with and now he was getting this third degree for not doing anything? Seriously, why did it feel like no one was on his side lately?

Gray grabbed him by the scarf and pulled him off of the bench to bring his face close. "Snap out of it, would ya? This is actually starting to creep me out."

"Would you let go?" Natsu growled, but made no attempt to fight back.

Gray was getting more and more irritated by the second. Why was Natsu acting so…depressed? It was strangely off putting seeing the usual chipper and fight-happy Dragon Slayer act like this. "Not until you wipe that stupid look off of your face and go back to normal."

"I'm totally normal right now," Natsu said. "I'm just waiting for you to leave me alone."

Erza narrowed her eyes at Natsu. "Something clearly happened for you to act like this. Did you eat something weird?"

Natsu's eyebrow twitched. "Geez, why does everyone seem to think I ate something bad?"

"Why else would you act like this?" Erza stated matter-of-factly. "I've never seen you like this before, so I can't help but be shocked and want to find the answer."

"It's none of your business," Natsu muttered as he looked away.

A tick mark appeared on Erza's head. She yanked Natsu away from Gray and began to shake him violently, his scarf and shirt collar gripped tightly in her hands. "You better tell me what's bothering you!" she demanded. "Let us help you!"

Natsu was starting to see stars. "Stop shaking me," he replied weakly.

"Not until you tell us!" Erza said again.

Wakaba snickered as he watched Erza relentlessly shake Natsu while screaming at him. Natsu, on the other hand, looked ready to puke. "Look at that. So typical, eh? The first thing he does when he walks in this morning is pick a fight."

"Yeah, no kidding," Macao chuckled. "We've really come to expect that this past year or so. Ever since he's joined, he's had that fiery spirit."

"It's good for the kid," Wakaba said. "Drives him forward, you know?"

"Yeah. That kid really doesn't ever quit," Macao snickered.

Makarov took a big gulp of his beer and sighed happily before returning his eyes to Natsu. However, his face showed no laughter like the other two men. Unlike them, Makarov had noticed Natsu the moment he slowly opened the doors and immediately was alarmed by his actions. Because of this, he kept his eyes on the young one and the more he did so, the more concerned he became. _'Natsu refusing to fight back? Now I know for sure that my worries are justified. Something is clearly bothering the boy.'_ Makarov sighed. _'Maybe I've put too much on his shoulders too soon. Perhaps I'm forcing him to grow up too quickly.'_ He looked over to his two drinking pals. "Give me a minute, would you? I'd like to talk with Natsu in private for a moment."

"Again?" Macao said incredulously.

"What's with all the secrecy, Master?" Wakaba asked.

"Never mind that. Just scram," Makarov said.

The two young men looked at each other and shrugged before taking their drinks and walking off.

Makarov set down his beer and leaned forward. "Natsu, come here for a minute," he called out.

The group of four children turned. Erza immediately released Natsu so that he could go speak with the Master, but he was far too dizzy to stand on his own two legs. He crumpled to the ground and groaned.

"Weakling can't even handle Erza," Gray snickered.

"What was that?" Erza asked as she glared coldly at Gray.

The boy shivered. "Nothing!"

Natsu pushed himself up slowly, wobbled on his legs, and staggered over to Makarov. Once he got there, he shook his head to try and see straight again. "Yeah, Gramps?"

"Tell me what's on your mind," Makarov said gently.

Natsu looked away. "Again with this. Look, nothing's wrong, okay?"

"Of course. What was I thinking? There can't be anything wrong. You always let Gray and Erza have their way with you without so much as lifting a finger," Makarov said.

Natsu huffed. "Didn't feel like dealing with it," he mumbled. "They were just being annoying."

"It seemed to me that they were concerned for a friend and wanted to help you since they care for you."

"Whatever."

Makarov gestured to a vacant stool. "Have a seat."

Natsu pulled himself onto the stool, but didn't look at Makarov. He just stared at the counter.

Makarov took another drink. "So did you enjoy Lisanna's party yesterday? It was your first one, wasn't it?"

"It was fine."

"I saw you go around back with Mira." He noticed Natsu's small body tense up, so he knew that he had found the source. "Anything of interest happen then?"

"No," Natsu said quickly.

"I see. So you didn't take the opportunity to apologize then?"

Natsu gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and let his head hang. "No."

Makarov sighed. "Too bad." He took another swig from his mug.

Natsu lifted his head, but kept his gaze on the wooden counter. "Where is Mira today?"

"She took Lisanna and Elfman on a mission with her."

"Oh."

"You wanted to see her?"

"Not really."

"Then why'd you ask?"

"Just curious."

"Then why not ask about Lisanna or Elfman? Why ask about Mira after everything that's happened?"

Natsu pouted and looked off to the left. "I dunno. It's not like I wanna see her since whenever I see her or think about her it hurts right here." He slowly placed a hand against his chest."

Makarov raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Natsu's words. "Oh? Why's that?"

"Because I still feel really bad about what I did."

Makarov turned his upper body to face Natsu. "Look, my boy. I know that you're upset about everything that's happened with Mira and that's perfectly natural, but what worries me is that you have the look of someone who's given up. Someone who's admitted defeat. I never thought such a thing was possible for you. You were always someone who would never give up even if you were knocked down repeatedly over and over again." Natsu remained silent, so he continued. "This lesson that you're learning is a difficult one, especially for someone your age, so you shouldn't give up just because the answer eludes you early on. Keep fighting, just like you always do. Keep fighting and the answer will come to you in time, so don't push yourself so hard that you find your hope waning."

Natsu turned to look at Makarov for the first time throughout the whole conversation. "It will?"

"Yes."

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely. Don't admit defeat and you will accomplish your goals…eventually."

"Eventually?" Natsu shouted. "How soon is 'eventually'?"

Makarov scratched his chin. "I'm not entirely sure. Could be a couple of days. Could be a couple of years. Who can say for sure?"

Natsu leapt on to the counter and waved his fist at Makarov. "Come on, Gramps! Why can't you ever be helpful?"

Makarov smirked, glad to see the young boy returning to his old self. "I thought that what I just told you was quite helpful actually."

Natsu tsked as he leapt off of the bar counter and stormed off towards the group of kids. "Whatever, Gramps. Hey Gray! C'mere! I gotta knock the lights outta you for what you did before!"

"Oh yeah? Bring it on!" Gray shouted. The two boys leapt at each other and began their brawl.

Happy flew over and hovered above Erza and Cana. "Natsu, I couldn't find Lisanna."

"Not now, Happy!" Natsu shouted. "I'm busy beating the snot out of Gray!"

"You wish you could!" Gray shot back.

Happy flew gleefully in circles. "Yay! Natsu's back!"

Makarov laughed from his seat and took another swig from his mug. "That boy is something else." He watched the fight with a smile, but his mind couldn't let the issue go completely. _'For him to be so effected by this in such a way…either he's far more innocent and pure hearted than even I had originally thought, or he's growing up far faster than I realized.'_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail.

**I swear you were supposed to have this, like, two days ago, but work kept keeping me from editing...I'm ashamed. Anyway, guess what? NO RANT TODAY! I know you're all thrilled. All I'll say is check out my other story if you haven't already (yeah, I'm so shameless) and enjoy the latest of Viscernal's _A Diary's Secret_!**

_**Fairy Tail—A Diary's Secret**_

**Chapter 6**

"Oh man, did it feel good to unwind and let loose!" Mira exclaimed while stretching her arms above her head. "Nothing like a job to get the blood pumping!"

The three Strauss siblings were making their way to the train station in Onibus. They had just completed a mission scaring away some wild beasts that had made a small nest within the town. They weren't dangerous, so Mira felt comfortable bringing along Lisanna and Elfman. However, even if the beasts weren't dangerous, Mira couldn't pass up the chance to let her inner demon out.

Lisanna giggled. "You sure are in good spirits, big sister."

Mira grinned at her little sister. "Well the mission was a huge success, so there's that. Plus the pay is gonna help us keep up on payments for the house."

Lisanna hummed and rested a small finger against her lips. "I don't really get that money stuff."

"Give it time," Elfman said. "Before you know it, you'll be just as good of a provider as big sister Mira."

Lisanna blushed. "Me? A provider?"

"Is that so weird to say?" Elfman asked, confused as to why Lisanna would react in such a way.

Lisanna put her hands against her reddening cheeks. "No it's not weird. It just made me really happy."

"So what, you're looking forward to responsibility?" Mira asked. "I gotta tell you, Lisanna; it's not all it's cracked up to be."

The three siblings walked onto the platform of the train station and stood waiting for the train. Lisanna rocked back and forth on her feet. "It's not so much the responsibility part that I'm looking forward to, but what being a provider and having that responsibility would mean."

"But you just turned 11," Elfman said. "Why are you in such a hurry to grow up?"

"I'm not in a hurry really," Lisanna replied slowly. "I just like the idea of living with someone and taking care of them."

Elfman coughed. "Oh…um, okay."

"Don't you agree, Mira?" Lisanna asked. Surely her big sister would understand because she was taking care of her and Elfman. However, Mira wasn't listening. "Mira?"

Mira blinked and looked at her. "Sorry, I spaced out. What did you say?"

Lisanna tilted her head cutely to the side in confusion, but before she could say anything the whistle of the incoming train split the air. "Oh, here comes the train!"

The train screeched to a halt and the passengers scurried aboard. The Strauss siblings sought out an empty seat. Once they found one, Lisanna and Elfman sat on one side while Mira sat across from them. Mira's attention, however, immediately went to looking out the window.

**"Thank you for riding the Fiore train, everyone,"** the conductor's voice sounded over the loudspeaker. **"The next stop will be Magnolia."**

"Time to go home," Elfman said with a smile as the doors closed and the train pulled out of the station.

"Hey Mira?" Lisanna called out. However, Mira didn't respond. "Mira!"

Mira sharply inhaled like she had just woken up from a dream and turned to look at Lisanna. "What is it, Lisanna?"

"Is everything okay?" Lisanna asked. "You suddenly became very quiet once we reached the train station."

Mira smiled at her sister and shook her head. "Nothing's wrong, Lisanna. You don't have to worry, okay?"

"But you were so happy before and now you seem kind of sad," Lisanna noted.

"I'm just ready to go home. That's all," Mira assured.

Lisanna pouted. "I hope you're not lying to me, Mira."

"It's all okay. Really."

Lisanna folded her hands in her lap. "If you say so."

Mira's attention went back out the window. Lisanna closed her eyes and began to drift off to sleep. Elfman looked at his two sisters in confusion.

Mira watched the world rush past her on the other side of the fast moving train window. She sighed and pressed her forehead against the window pane. _'Why? Why am I thinking about this?'_

* * *

><p>"So Natsu, what are we gonna do today?" Happy asked. He was sitting on one of the guild tables while he snacked on a fish.<p>

Natsu leaned back in his chair and put his arms behind his head. "I guess we'll just hang out here. I can't think of anything else to do. If Lisanna were here we could probably go play out in the fields, but she's still on that mission with Mira and Elfman."

Happy took another bite of his fish. "That's pretty boring," he said with his mouth full. "Can't we do something fun?"

"Like what?"

"Let's go fishing!" Happy cheered.

Natsu hummed. "Fishing, huh? I guess that would be okay. It's pretty boring just sitting and waiting for a fish to bite, but it beats sitting here doing nothing."

"Yay! Fish!"

Natsu leapt to his feet. "Okay then! To the river!"

"Aye!" Happy exclaimed as he summoned his wings. The two then made their way out the door and onto the streets of Magnolia.

"I wonder if we'll catch anything today," Natsu wondered out loud as he strolled down the streets with his arms back behind his head.

"I hope so. I really wanna eat some fish," Happy said.

Natsu sighed. "You just ate a fish."

"Yes. And it was delicious."

"Oh, never mind." Natsu's ears suddenly twitched, drawing his attention off to his left. He could see two men leaning against the wall with drinks in their hands. He narrowed his eyes at them and slowed his pace so that he could listen in. _'Did I hear that right?'_

"I ain't lying to ya," a short, round man said. "The village was really up in flames."

"I didn't say you were lying about the fire, Cole," the second man said. He was tall and lanky and looked like he hadn't showered in weeks. "What I'm having a hard time believing is the second part."

"But they say it was a dragon, Ray," Cole said. "The rumor says that a dragon burned down the small village of Capulose."

"You're an idiot to believe everything you hear," Ray retorted. "Look, dragons have been long gone for, like, a year now. No one's seen one anywhere. Also, who the hell's heard of Capulose Village before?"

Cole took another swig from his drink. "But I heard it from a friend of mine who lives in the area. He says the flames were so large and so bright that he could see them from his bedroom window several miles away."

"And I still say that you're full of shit," Ray replied.

Natsu was so fixated on hearing the story that he didn't notice his own feet stop moving. _'A dragon? Could it be Igneel? It has to be! If the fire was just like the guy said, who else could have made them?'_

"Natsuuuu," Happy wailed. "C'mooon! I wanna go fishing!"

Natsu kept his eyes fixed on the two men. "Happy, have you ever heard of Capulose Village?"

"Nuh uh," Happy said while shaking his head. "What about it?"

Natsu took off running down the street. "I have to figure out where it is!"

"Natsu, wait up!" Happy exclaimed as he flew after the excited Dragon Slayer. "Where are you going?"

"To the only place I know that has a big map of Fiore; the Lendes Magic Store!"

"The Magic Store?" Happy repeated. "They have maps?"

"Uh huh!" Natsu replied. "Lots of 'em. I think they're for travelers."

"But why do you wanna go to Capulose Village?"

"I think Igneel might be there!"

"You really think so?"

"If those guys back there weren't lying about what they heard, then I'm positive!"

The two continued to dash down the streets until they reached the door to Lendes Magic Shop. Natsu threw open the door and skidded inside. "Okay, where were those maps again?"

"Well, if it isn't Natsu," came the voice of the store owner from behind the counter. "What can I do for you today?"

Natsu looked over. "Oh. Hey, Mr. Lendes. I need one of those maps of Fiore that you have for people visiting. Where are they again?"

"Maps of Fiore, huh? What do you need one of those for?" Mr. Lendes asked.

"I need to find where a place called Capulose Village is," Natsu answered.

The old shop owner scratched his scruffy chin. "Capulose Village? Never heard of the place and I've seen the maps of Fiore a lot. Sorry, kid, but I don't think you'll be able to find it on my maps."

Natsu crossed his arms. He was getting tired of coming up empty in everything he was doing lately. "Great. Then how the heck am I supposed to find it?"

"You could try the library," Mr. Lendes offered.

Natsu nodded. "Okay, I'll try there. Thanks!" With a wave of his hand, he and Happy were out the door and running down the streets once more. They ran all the way to the library. Natsu burst through the doors again, but was immediately scolded for being too loud. He quietly made his way over to the woman behind the front desk and looked up at her. "Excuse me, but can you tell me where I can find stuff about a place called Capulose Village?"

The young woman peered down at Natsu from the rim of her glasses. "Capulose Village? What do you need information on?"

"I need to know how to get there," Natsu replied.

The librarian tapped her chin while she thought. "Capulose Village, Capulose Village. I know I've heard of it before…ah! I remember now." She stood from her seat. "Follow me, please."

Natsu followed the woman as she guided him through rows and rows of books. He wasn't sure how this woman knew where she was going and, should she leave him there, he had no idea how he was going to find his way out.

The woman stopped at a shelf and scanned the books that rested upright upon it. She then pulled out a book and leafed through its contents. She stopped at a particular page and nodded before looking to Natsu. "I'm not sure how you heard of this place. It's a very tiny settlement located in the northern region of the Neutral Grounds."

"Where are the Neutral Grounds?" Natsu inquired.

"It's just south of the town of Hargeon," the librarian answered.

Natsu nodded his head enthusiastically. "Thanks a lot!" He then dashed for the exit. Surprisingly, he found his way out of the maze of books with no problem. Once he was on the street, he made a bee line for the train station.

"Where are you going now?" Happy asked.

"To Hargeon, of course!" Natsu replied.

"But what about the fishing?" Happy whined.

"If you wanna go that bad, you'll have to go solo," Natsu said. "I need to check this out!"

Happy pouted. "No, I'll go with you. But you owe me when we get back!"

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go!"

* * *

><p>Natsu leapt off the train and stretched. "Man am I glad to be off of that thing!"<p>

"I thought you were gonna die, Natsu," Happy commented. "You looked bad."

Natsu cracked his neck. "Yeah. I hate vehicles and vehicles hate me. It's very hate-hate. But that's not important now!" Natsu took off running towards the exit of the train station. "We need to get to the Neutral Grounds where this Capulose Village is!"

"Aye!" Happy exclaimed as he flew after Natsu.

* * *

><p>"Master Makarov, have you seen Natsu around?" Erza asked.<p>

Master Makarov looked down at her from atop the bar counter. "Natsu, eh? No, I haven't seen him since earlier today. When was that…perhaps a couple hours ago? Why do you want to know, Erza?"

Erza crossed her arms. "I'm still pretty worried about him. Even though it looks like he bounced back fine from his strange mood, I can't help but feel concerned that he still hasn't fully recovered from everything that's happened."

Makarov sighed. "Don't fret, Erza. The boy hit a bit of a rough patch the other day, but he's tenacious. He won't give up and he won't be depressed anymore."

Erza closed her eyes. "If you say so, Master." She wanted to believe Master Makarov, but somewhere deep down, she still had her doubts.

* * *

><p>The sun was about to set as Natsu and Happy reached the Neutral Grounds.<p>

"We…made it," Natsu panted. He had been running nonstop since the two got off of the train in Hargeon.

Happy let his tired wings disappear as he drifted on top of Natsu's head. "I'm tired, Natsu."

"Me too, buddy, but we're so close," Natsu said as he started walking. "Capulose Village shouldn't be too much farther."

"Maybe we should've waited until tomorrow. It was already kinda late when we left," Happy said.

"No way," Natsu said. "If we waited, then the trail may have gone cold. We had to leave as soon as possible."

"But it's gonna be dark really soon."

"We'll be fine."

"Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"I want fish."

Natsu sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Natsu?"

"What?"

"We should have gone fishing today."

"I already explained that!" Suddenly, a thick scent reached Natsu's nose. It was faint, but he recognized it. "I smell smoke. That has to be Capulose Village!" Feeling renewed energy coursing through his body, Natsu took off running in the direction of the smell. _'Wait for me, Igneel. I'm coming, Dad!'_

* * *

><p>"What the hell are you doing here, kid?" asked a villager. He was wearing dirty working clothes and a hoe was resting on his broad shoulders. "It's practically dark out. Shouldn't you be in bed?"<p>

Natsu puffed out his cheeks. "I don't have a bed time. Anyway, that's not important. Is this Capulose Village?"

"Yeah it is. I'm surprised you've heard of it. We're a very small place," the man said.

Natsu looked around. However, the village looked completely fine. "The village is okay?"

The man raised an eyebrow. "Of course it's okay. What did you think happened?"

"I heard that it burned down."

"Burned down?" the man repeated. "True there was a fire, but nothing burned down."

"But I heard that a dragon came and burned this place down. I heard that the flames were so large and so bright that people could see it from miles away," Natsu said, feeling his hope diminishing by the second.

The man laughed. "Kid, I don't know what cruel trick someone is playing on you, but dragons haven't been seen for a while. They're gone. Besides, the fire that was here was so tiny, some people within the village didn't even see it. You should always remember that rumors are nothing but rumors. People love to talk and make things out bigger than they actually are. Don't put so much stock into what you hear from others."

Natsu's shoulders slumped. "Oh, I see. Thanks anyway." He turned to walk away.

The man scratched his head. "You alright, kid? I don't really see why you'd be upset to hear that a place _didn't_ burn down."

Natsu stopped. "It's not that. I'm glad your village is okay, but I was hoping my dad would be here."

The man sighed. "Geez. Look kid, it's late. Why don't you spend the night here and head back home tomorrow?"

"Natsu, let's do that," Happy said tiredly. He was already half asleep on top of Natsu's head.

Natsu sighed. "Fine." He turned back to the man. "Thanks for offering to have us."

"Don't mention it, kid. Come on, I'll show you to my place."

Natsu silently nodded and followed the man, but his mind was elsewhere. _'I was really hoping to find you, Dad. I really needed your help with something.'_

* * *

><p>It was early afternoon when Natsu and Happy got off of the train from Hargeon and stepped onto the train station platform in Magnolia. Natsu's face showed just how disappointed he was. "Darn it. I thought he'd be there," he said while dragging his feet as he walked.<p>

"Sorry, Natsu," Happy mumbled.

Natsu scratched his head furiously. "How do people mess things up so much? That nice man said that the fire was puny and somehow as the story spread, it turned into a massive inferno from a dragon? Come on!"

"At least we made it back," Happy offered. He really didn't have much more to say to his father.

Natsu sighed. "I got so excited when I heard that a dragon was sighted. I thought I could find Igneel and be with him again. I had so much I wanted to talk to him about and so much I wanted to ask him. I could really use his help right now."

"Are you talking about the Mira thing?" Happy asked.

Natsu nodded. "Gramps said that I would figure it out and fix things eventually, but I don't want it to take a long time. I want it to happen soon. Really soon. I was hoping Igneel could give me some tips."

Happy landed on his head. "Sorry, Natsu."

"Stop apologizing. It's not your fault," Natsu said. "I shouldn't have followed such a stupid rumor."

"Maybe we'll find Igneel soon and you can ask him about Mira," Happy offered.

"I hope you're right," Natsu said. _'I really want to make things right with Mira. Maybe then my chest will stop hurting.'_

They eventually reached the guild hall and opened the doors. As soon as they stepped inside, Natsu was immediately tackled to the ground by a flying Lisanna. Happy bailed as soon as Natsu was hit.

"Natsu, you're back!" Lisanna exclaimed. "I was so worried about you! When we came back yesterday, I wanted to tell you about our mission, but you were nowhere to be found. I even stopped by your house, but you weren't there either. Where did you go?"

"Oh, hey Lisanna," Natsu greeted. "Sorry. Happy and I left town for a bit."

Lisanna sat up. "Where'd you go?"

He sat up as well. "A place called Capulose Village."

"I've never heard of that place," Erza said as she walked over with Gray, Cana, Elfman, and, surprisingly, Mira.

"You making this up, fire brain?" Gray asked.

"I am not!" Natsu shot back. "I heard a rumor that Igneel may have been spotted there, but…" He stopped as he felt sorrow and frustration once again.

"But what?" Cana asked. "Did you find him?"

Natsu shook his head. "The rumor was totally bogus in every way." He could feel tears beginning to fill his eyes.

"Aw, is little baby gonna cry?" Mira teased. "It's so cute when you cry."

"No!" Natsu snapped as he rubbed his eyes. "I'm not a baby anymore, Mira. I don't cry. Stop teasing…me…" His speech slowed down as he finished that sentence. He looked up at Mira to see her smiling evilly at him and blushing slightly. It was a look that he hadn't seen in quite a while, but it was still a look he knew well. "Mira, you're…teasing me? Like you used to?"

Mira shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Natsu had failed to find Igneel. He had followed another false lead. However, the smile that appeared on his face wouldn't have hinted to his frustrations. In fact, he no longer felt frustrated. He only felt joy. Mira was treating him like she used to. She was treating him the way she did before he stupidly read her diary. He jumped to his feet and stared her down, still with a big smile. "You're asking for a fight, Mira!"

She giggled evilly. "My, my, someone's raring to go." She took a battle ready stance. "If you wanna take me on, little cry baby, then I'll accept your challenge!"

Natsu snickered as he lunged forward. "Bring it on! I'm fired up!"

And even though Mira beat the crap out of him in their brawl, Natsu didn't care. Finally it seemed like things had gone back to normal. Still, he made a resolution with himself. _'I swear that I won't give up. Even though things seem normal, I won't stop trying to figure out what I should apologize for, Mira. I promise you that.'_

* * *

><p><strong>Don't misinterpret this as the end, my friends. Oh no, we're just getting started...<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail.

**Hello all! My apologies for the later than usual update, but sometimes life gets in the way, you know? Still, I'll try not to let it happen again. Hopefully the fact that this chapter is slightly longer than all my other chapters will make up for it. I also really enjoyed writing this chapter as it went along, so hopefully you enjoy reading it just as much.  
><strong>

**Shameless self-advertisement: Check out my other story if you haven't already and you're interested! It'd be much appreciated.**

**Alright, on with the show! Comin' at you live with the latest chapter of Viscernal's _A Diary's Secret_!**

_**Fairy Tail—A Diary's Secret**_

**Chapter 7**

**4 YEARS LATER—YEAR 782**

"One more time, Happy!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered. The blue Exceed groaned as he pulled on a thick rope with all of his might. By doing so, a poorly constructed net made of rope opened up and released a large boulder. The boulder plummeted down to where Natsu was standing at the ready, a large grin on his face.

Natsu cocked back his right fist as it became engulfed in flames. "Alright! I'm all fired up! Here we go!" He leapt into the air to meet the boulder head on. "FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!" Natsu threw his flaming fist straight at the rock face. It connected and with a loud cracking sound the boulder burst apart into smaller pieces. The pieces crashed into the ground with loud thuds and Natsu landed in a squatting position amidst the debris. He straightened up and pumped both of his fists. "Hell yeah!"

"That was great, Natsu!" Happy exclaimed as he flew over to Natsu. "You're getting stronger by the day."

Natsu, now 15 years old, had grown a lot taller over the years and his body was far more defined from all of the rigorous training that he had been doing daily. He was still searching for Igneel from time to time, especially when he heard a rumor about where he might be. He wanted to make sure that he kept growing stronger so that when he finally reunited with Igneel he could make him proud. He still had his mess of pink hair atop his head and he still had the same childish and loveable grin that he did when he first joined Fairy Tail five years ago. His taste in clothing did change, though. He favored an open, sleeveless black vest that showed off his chiseled body and his red Fairy Tail guild mark on his right shoulder, gray loose pants, and open toed sandals. Even as the years went by and some things changed, though, Natsu would never take off the white scarf that Igneel had given him.

Natsu grinned at Happy, who had gotten slightly bigger over the years, but was still a small blue cat. "That's 'cause this training that we do really makes you work hard!"

Happy nodded and plugged his tiny nose. "It also makes you stink really badly."

Natsu raised an eyebrow and gave himself a sniff. "Oh come on, it's not that bad."

"Stinky stinky," Happy chanted.

Natsu groaned. He looked towards his and Happy's house, which hadn't changed over the years. "Fine. I'll take a shower. We'll have to go to the guild, though. Pretty sure our bath is broken."

"It is? Natsu, what did you do to it?"

A tick mark appeared on Natsu's forehead and he shook his fist at Happy. "I didn't do anything to it! It just broke!"

Happy shrugged. "For some reason I'm having a hard time believing that."

Natsu gritted his teeth together before turning on his heels and storming off. "Whatever. I'm going to the guild."

Happy took to the skies. "Hey, wait up, Natsu!" he cried as he flew after his father.

* * *

><p>The Fairy Tail guild hall was the same as ever. There were a few new faces and a few faces that had left, but in general things stayed the same. The main hall was still a large room filled with tables and chairs set up all over. There was still a very popular bar frequented by Master Makarov and his drinking buddies, Macao and Wakaba. The mission request board was still filled to the brim with job postings for the boisterous but effective Fairy Tail mages. The staircase to the second floor still sat nestled behind the bar.<p>

The guild may not have changed, but there were some major events that greatly impacted the guild. At the end of the year 778, Laxus Dreyar, Master Makarov's grandson, became an S-Class mage after winning the S-Class Trials. Since then, he spent a lot of time sitting alone on the second floor where the S-Class jobs were posted.

Two years later, at the end of the year 780, Erza had taken the S-Class Trials at the young age of 15. She was magnificent, unbeatable, and downright terrifying and passed the Trials with flying colors, becoming yet another Fairy Tail S-Class mage.

The year 781 saw Gildarts Clive, Fairy Tail's strongest member, leave yet again for a job. However, this was a 100 year SS-Class job, so Gildarts was going to be away for quite some time. No one even knew what the job was, except for Master Makarov of course. Months later, before the year ended, the S-Class Trials were held again and this time, the Demon of Fairy Tail came out on top; Mirajane Strauss. As soon as she passed, she began butting heads with Erza even more and Laxus even began flirting with her.

Natsu opened the doors to the guild and began making his way to the showers in the back. "Man I'm so hungry," he moaned. "I wish I didn't have to wash up right now."

"You smell so you should wash up," Happy said.

"Would you stop pointing that out?" Natsu snapped. "I get it already."

Happy veered away and flew off. "You go shower. I'll go find Lisanna."

"Sure."

Happy flew around the guild hall in search of his mother. People smiled and waved upon seeing him and he returned the smile and wave. Eventually, he found Lisanna sitting at a table with Elfman and Mira. "Lisanna!"

Lisanna, now 15 years old, was now much taller. Her white hair was also slightly longer, now coming down to the base of her neck. She wore a dark red short dress that had a light pink collar and a white bow with pink sleeves that were held on by gold rings just above her elbows. Her childish body had also developed some, but she still had a lot of growing to do. She looked up at the blue cat, smiled wide, and held her arms out to him. "Hi Happy! Where's Natsu?"

Happy flew into arms. "He's stinky so he's showering."

She pet his head. "Why isn't he showering at your house?"

"Natsu broke the shower."

"That wasn't a smart thing to do," Elfman replied. Elfman was now 16 years old and was much bulkier and taller than he was four years ago. His white hair was fairly short and was spiked straight up into the air. He wore a dark blue button down shirt and pants. He still had a very innocent and submissive demeanor, but felt like he had come a long way over the years and was strong enough to protect his sisters now. "He should really be more careful."

"That's just Natsu," Happy said.

Mira stood from her seat. She was now 17 years old and the most recent addition to the S-Class ranks. She had become quite a beautiful young woman, but her mean streak hadn't completely subsided. She had stopped her pranks, but she still found ways to keep her reputation up as a demon. Her white hair was slightly longer. Her bangs flowed down over her shoulders and her hair was still tied in a ponytail by a purple ribbon. She had lost her gothic attire from when she was a young teenager, but still opted for darker clothing, choosing to wear a black low hanging halter top that accentuated her large breasts, a short purple skirt with a white belt, and black stockings that went up to her mid thigh. "In the shower, huh? How foolish of him to lower his guard like that."

Lisanna sweatdropped. "He didn't lower his guard, Mira. He's taking a shower. Now don't bother him."

"Aw, why not?" Mira said with an evil grin. "I could show him a thing or two."

Lisanna blushed furiously at the implication. "Big sister!" she complained.

Mira laughed. "Fine, I'll leave him alone for now."

"What's this? Is Mira being considerate?" Erza said as she walked over to the siblings. Erza, now 17 years old, had started holding herself with a lot more confidence since she first joined the guild six years ago. She tended to constantly wear a suit of armor called Heart Kreuz Armor and underneath that armor she wore a plain white blouse and a blue skirt. Her scarlet red hair had grown long over the past four years and it was no longer in a ponytail. Instead, she chose to let it flow loosely down her back. She was still a very serious person with a strong personality, but it had become far more difficult to coerce her into a fight. The only way Mira could possibly irritate her enough to instigate a fight these days was to turn to a classic; mess with the cake mix.

Mira sneered at Erza. "Oh, I'm plenty considerate. Many say I have a heart of gold."

"They tend to say it only after you threaten them to do so," Erza retorted with a grin.

"It sounds to me like you want to fight," Mira said.

"Still as violent as ever. I was hoping being an S-Class wizard would mellow you out some," Erza replied.

"Easy you two," Elfman said, trying to smooth out the tension between the two women. "No need to fight here."

Erza turned to Elfman. "You're right, Elfman. Fighting would be foolish. Well then, I'll see you three later." She walked away with a wave.

Mira clenched her fists. "Damn her. She only came over here to irritate me. I mean come on. She was barely here for ten seconds."

"Just let it be, big sister," Lisanna said. "You two have been better lately. Don't ruin the tentative peace."

Mira began to walk off. "Yeah, whatever."

* * *

><p>Natsu let the hot water run down his naked back as he stared blankly at the wet tiles. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the feeling of the thick and humid air filling his lungs. He exhaled slowly and closed his eyes.<p>

Things had been so peaceful over these past four years. There were no major fights or anything of the sort between guilds or even between guild mates. The last time such a thing occurred was when Natsu had read Mira's diary and had angered her so much that she basically wanted him dead. Her rage had lasted for a long time and then suddenly, just like that, it was gone without a trace for no reason whatsoever. For four years, the reason behind the transformation back to normalcy had been eating away at Natsu, constantly pushing itself to the front of his mind whenever he let his focus wander. For four years he had been dying to ask Mira why she changed her mind after what he had done. He came so close to asking multiple times, but not once did he even get the first sound out. Every time he approached her to ask and she looked at him, he froze up and either passed it off as nothing or asked something completely different or stupid.

And the reason for this was simple; Natsu was afraid.

He was afraid that bringing up what happened four years ago in any way would possibly tear the seams of this fix. _'What if bringing it up makes her angry again? I don't want to destroy this bond. I should just be happy that things are the way they are and leave it at that, shouldn't I?'_ These were the questions that Natsu constantly asked himself whenever he considered asking Mira. This is what tormented the young Dragon Slayer for four years and prevented him from obtaining the closure that he needed to put the whole ordeal behind him.

Natsu turned off the shower and shook his head vigorously, sending droplets of water flying in all directions. He stepped out, quickly dried off, and then threw on his outfit. "Now time for food!" he said as he made his way for the door. He opened the bathroom door.

"Hey there, Natsu."

Natsu froze. Standing in the doorway was Mira. "Mira? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I heard you were cleaning up, so I wanted to see if you needed help with anything," she said with a wicked smile. She blushed slightly while putting a hand to her cheek. "Like maybe washing your back."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Since when have I ever needed help showering?"

Mira pressed a finger against his bare chest. "Well you are a very helpless person."

"Hey!"

Mira burst out laughing. "Man I love your reactions!"

"Knock it off, Mira," Natsu pouted.

"Oh calm down. I'm only teasing you," she said while putting her hands on her hips.

"Ha ha. Very funny. Now can you move, please?"

Mira shook her head. "Nope. I did come here for a reason, you know."

"And that would be?"

She leaned forward and winked at him. "You're taking me out today."

* * *

><p>"Do we have to do this?" Natsu groaned as he followed behind Mira with multiple shopping bags gripped tightly in his hands.<p>

Mira grinned at him over her shoulder while they walked. "Yes we do. It's been a while since we spent a day together just the two of us."

"Yeah I guess it has been a while," Natsu admitted, "but why do we have to do all of this shopping?"

She turned forward again. "Because I like shopping. Don't you?"

"Not really."

Mira hummed. "Okay then. What would you like to do?"

Natsu blinked. _'Did…she just ask what I wanted to do?'_

Mira looked at him over her shoulder again. "Earth to Natsu. You in there?"

"Oh…um, yeah," Natsu replied dumbly.

Mira giggled. "You really are something else."

Natsu shook his head. "Right. Well I think it would be fun to get some food. I never got to eat at the guild like I wanted to."

"Okay. I know just the place."

"Great!" he cheered.

The two went into a small diner where Natsu could get a mountainous burger and Mira could have a cup of tea. The two mainly sat in silence since Natsu was busy stuffing his face, but it didn't bother them. It was comfortable. Natsu ended up paying the bill. Mira had said it's what real men should do. He didn't quite get it, but he just sighed and did what he was told. It's not like it was a large sum so he didn't really care all that much. Besides, Mira seemed to have a genuine smile when he agreed to do so. For some reason that made him feel really good.

The two continued to roam Magnolia, stopping in store after store as Mira perused the selections. The hours almost flew by, for Natsu found himself having fun, strangely enough. After all, he hated shopping so why was he laughing with Mira and having such a good time doing so?

It was late afternoon when the two stopped by the river.

"Look, Natsu," Mira said while pointing ahead. "Do you remember this place?"

Natsu followed her finger to see that she was pointing at a bridge. He blinked. "A bridge? What about it? There are tons of 'em in this town."

Mira dropped her hand and smiled sadly. "Never mind. My house is on the other side. Let's walk across, okay?"

"Sure," Natsu said, his eyes fixed on Mira. She seemed sad, but why? He was sure that she had fun. She was laughing and smiling all day. It was a side of her that he had truly never seen. So then why did she seem so unhappy?

The two walked over the bridge in silence. Once they reached the center of the bridge, Natsu looked off to the side. The setting sun reflected off of the water of the river and made it shine like it was filled with gold. And then he froze. "I remember," he whispered.

Mira stopped. "What was that?"

"I remember this place."

She turned to face him, her eyes filled with hope. "You do?"

He looked at her with a smile. "Yeah. This is where you dragged me when you wanted to get our picture taken."

Mira frowned. "You don't have to make it sound so bad. Idiot." She turned her back to him, preventing him from seeing the slight blush on her face. "Still, I'm glad you remembered. I know it may not be so for you, but that was a special memory for me."

Natsu stared at her. _'It was a special memory for her?'_ He clenched his fists and took in a big breath. "Mira, I need to ask you something."

She turned to him. "What is it?"

"Why did you change?" he blurted out, knowing that if he started to think about it, he may try to avoid it again.

"Change?" she repeated.

"Yeah."

"What do you mean change?"

Natsu grinded his teeth together. _'Damn it, she's making this difficult!'_ He took another deep breath. "Why did you go back to treating me the way you used to?"

Mira sighed. "I still don't get what you're asking. What are you talking about? And try using some specifics this time."

He took a step forward. "After I read your diary, you were ready to kill me. You ignored me and treated me so coldly. You wanted nothing to do with me. And then all of a sudden, you stopped. You started teasing me like you used to. You changed and…I was curious as to why."

Mira stared at him as if she were analyzing him. Their eyes were locked, neither looking away. After what felt like eternity to Natsu, Mira closed her eyes. "I see. So that's what you were getting at," she said softly.

Natsu looked at the wooden boards. "Sorry. I just really wanted to know. I've wanted to know for a while."

"So you decided to ask four years later. Interesting, yet typical Natsu."

He gulped nervously. "So?"

Mira turned around so her back was to Natsu. "Don't get me wrong; I still haven't completely forgiven you for what you've done."

"Right," he said sadly.

She opened her eyes and looked up at the golden sky. "I still haven't completely forgiven you for what you've done, but part of me just can't stay mad at you." She turned around and gave him a sincere and genuine smile. "Whenever I think about that stupid grin of yours, I just can't bring myself to hate you or stay mad at you."

Natsu's eyes widened. He felt his face get strangely hot. His heartbeat felt heavy as it beat faster than ever before. _'What the hell is this weird feeling?'_

Mira took a small step forward. "So do you feel better now after asking that burning question of yours?"

He nodded slowly. "Uh huh."

"Good. Now how about you take me home?"

"Sure thing."

The two continued their walk in silence primarily because Natsu was too stunned. _'I don't get this. In all of the years that I've known Mira, I've never seen her act like this or talk like this or smile like this. And why did I get that funny feeling in my chest before? I wonder if it's something I ate.'_ He glanced at Mira out of the corner of his eye. She was looking straight ahead, but she was still smiling and that made Natsu smile. _'Eh, better not to think about it too much. At least I finally got the answer that I was looking for.'_ He returned his gaze to the road ahead. _'Alright, now I'm more determined than ever! I will figure out what to apologize for, Mira. Then you'll have no choice but to completely forgive me!'_

* * *

><p>"Natsu, where did you go yesterday?" Lisanna whined.<p>

Natsu scratched the back of his head as he sat with Lisanna in the guild hall. "Sorry about that. I was with Mira. We left pretty quickly, so I didn't get the chance to say anything to anyone."

Lisanna sighed. "Oh well, it can't be helped. I guess I'll just have to ask you now."

He blinked. "Ask me what?"

She blushed as she wiggled uncomfortably in her seat. "Well I…I was wondering if you'd go out with me today."

Natsu thought about it. _'Go out with her today? Is that the same thing as taking someone out like Mira asked yesterday? If it is, then that means that she just wants to hang out like usual. That's weird. If she just wanted to hang out like usual, why'd she have to ask in such a strange way?'_ He gave her a big grin. "Sure! Sounds fun!"

Lisanna giggled and clapped her hands. "Great! I'm so happy!"

Natsu thought her reaction was slightly unusual, but just shrugged it off as Lisanna acting strangely today. The two got up and headed for the exit to the guild hall.

This did not go unnoticed by Mira, who was sitting at the bar and watching the two intensely. She watched Lisanna squeal in delight. She watched the two stand up from their table. She watched them leave the guild hall. She felt her chest tighten as her grip on her glass tightened as well. "Natsu…"


End file.
